In the Shade

Zine
Title:	In the Shade
Publisher:	Beyond Dreams Press
Editor:
Author(s):	Jenna Sinclair
Cover Artist(s):	Suzan Lovett
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	July 2005
Series?:	yes, Sharing the Sunlight
Medium:	print zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek/The Original Series, Kirk/Spock
Language:	English
External Links:	In the Shade page at Beyond Dreams Press In the Shade at the KS Archive
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

In the Shade is a Kirk/Spock novel length zine, written by Jenna Sinclair and published in two volumes by her own Beyond Dreams Press in July 2005. Both volumes have color covers by Suzan Lovett.

The first volume has 198 pages, the second 182 pages.

It is the third novel of the Sharing the Sunlight universe, following the initial novel, short stories that were published in various zines and then collected as a single zine Setting the Course, and the second novel Promises to Keep. It is also the last installment of the series.

Series

• Sharing the Sunlight
• Reflections on a Lunar Landscape
• Pursuing Hyacinths
• Heart's Delight
• Primal Scream
• Parallel Courses
• Double Trouble
• Son of Sarek
• Promises to Keep
• Setting Course
• Jagged Edges
• Manna
• Journey’s End
• One Night
• In the Shade

Summary

From Gilda F: "While dealing with a xenophobic political group on Earth, Kirk and Spock take the next step in their relationship."

Gallery

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  cover of issue 1, Suzan Lovett -- "In the Shade" - "Yes, I love the colors, leaves, Fates, and casual clothes but it's their expressions I dream about. Susan obviously loved it too as she expanded it (changed color schemes) and put it on the second volume also."

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  cover of issue 2, Suzan Lovett -- "At Dusk"

From the Author

From the zine's foreword:

Welcome to In die Shade, the third novel in my Sharing the Sunlight K/S series. You need not have read any other stories or novels in the series to be able to enjoy this novel, it's pretty much self-contained with an explanation of the important events that have already happened within the first few chapters. The emotional dynamics will probably be most fully appreciated if you've read previous STS stories, but you won't be lost plot-wise if you haven't.

I want to apologize for taking so dam long to get this written. When Promises to Keep, the second novel in the series, came out in 1995, I never dreamed that it would be a full ten years before I was able to offer some sort of resolution to the problem that I left Kirk and Speck with. Real life plus fannish life kept me very busy during the past ten years, plus I think this is the land of Story that had to percolate in my backbrain before it found life. Although I had about one hundred draft pages written in 1997, I wasn't happy with them, and so when I sat down in January 2003 to devote full attention to the novel, I cut everything except the prologue and chapter one to start One of the subjects In the Shade touches on is female genital mutilation, sometimes known as female circumcision or clitorectomy. This practice is widely followed today in certain areas of the world. Sudan is one of the countries m the early twenty-first century that has the highest rate of genital mutilation, and that is what dictated my choice for the backgrounds of two of the original characters in this novel. Which leads me to the fact thai the entire plotline for ITS was fixed before the end of 1997 I had no intention of duplicating current events, and I gave some thought to changing things post 9/11. Eventually I decided to keep my plot the way Kirk and Spock told me they were living h. I wish I'd been able to get the novel written and published before the events that have catapulted us into this frustrating time; it's a little weird how elements of my 110 pages of outline and notes, compiled in 1996 and 1997, have found some expression in the real world You have already noticed that this novel is published in two volumes. Blame friends who are aging (not me, of course!.), arthritis, and fading eyesight. I could have squeezed ITS into one volume, but then it would have been well over 300 pages with small print and heavy pages. This way everybody can read with relative ease, and if you drop the zine into the bathtub wfale you are reading and relaxing, hey, you've only soaked half the story I started writing K/S in January 1991, and at that time I wanted to write an established relationship story. But then I realized I should write some backstory first, and that's how Sharing the Sunlight came to be the first part of my STS series. At last, that ER story I had in mind quite a long time ago finds expression in chapter four of this novel. I hope that my great friend Shelley Butler will enjoy that chapter in particular.... When I first came up with the structure for the novel (Dusky, remember that phone call? I do! Heck, it was only a few years ago....), I realized I could invite five different artists to contribute pictures. I love K/S art! I send lots of big of kisses to Liz, Deeb, Shelley Butler, and [I.M. Mueller] for their great illustrations for parts one through four, and to Suzan Lovett for her covers, the finishing illo, and the graphics for the title pages of each part Yeah, pretty nice, eh? Now, a word about Kirk and Spock. In the Shade is an intense, very intimate look into their lives; it is a very personal novel and somewhat different from what I've written before. While it is true that I have screamed, hollered, and bitterly complained during the writing, the truth is that I have enjoyed my time with the fellows immensely. I do love them so. Several people have asked me if this is the "end" to the STS series, and so I must say that it is not I intend to keep writing in it tor a long time to come, although for a while I hope to turn my attention to other K/S stories outside the series. Warning: In die Shack contains original characters and an incident of explicit personal violence that I found difficult to write and—if I did it properly—you will find difficult to read. Also, for those who are wondering, I'm the one who really did come up with the term chenesi to describe Spock's secondary testicular system in my novel Promises to Keep. Needless to say, all remaining errors, stylistic miscues, and typos are my responsibility alone

Thanks to everybody for your patience and encouragement! I really hope you enjoy reading In the Shade.

Some Art from Volume 1

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  "Moonlight Thoughts" by Liz

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  "Bath Time" by Liz

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  "Rescued and Rescuer" by Deeb

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  "Incontrovertible Evidence" by Deeb

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  "Equality" by Liz—Note: Marked as sexually explicit; minimized.

Some Art from Volume 2

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  by Shelley Butler, see comments for Should I Trust You?

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  Soaring Spirit by Shelley Butler

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  "At Last" by I.M. Mueller

• 

  "With You" by Suzan Lovett

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  "Come to Me" by I.M. Mueller — Note: Marked as sexually explicit; minimized.

Reactions and Reviews: Fiction

Jenna spent ten years of her life writing this novel; I spent a day and a half of my life reading it. (Isn't that the irony of reading versus writing?)

I could not put it down—it was that compelling, powerful and satisfying. Where to start? First, this is part of her "Sharing the Sunlight" universe, and a direct sequel to "Promise to Keep". It probably would be a good idea to read PTK first, but she has given enough explanation of the backstory throughout "Shade" that I think it would be possible to pick up this novel and be able to follow what's going on without having read the previous story. There are some incredible K/S moments in this novel—and I'm not just talking about the many wonderful love scenes. But I'm not sure how to go into more detail without 'spoiling the book'. And I'm notorious for 'spoiling' stories. I'm going to try to avoid that, if at all possible. What shines through through this novel is how together they are. In one sequence, they have to work absolutely in sync, with nanosecond timing, to prevent a disaster. Another nail-biting sequence combines a dramatic spacewalk with a climb through badly damaged access corridors/rooms on a damaged ship. Again, they have to coordinate what they're doing exactly to prevent disaster. And they have to do it without telepathic contact. (I won't be spoiling anything by saying that, in the previous novel, Spock's telepathic abilities have been destroyed, thus there is no Bond between them.) I was also impressed with the mature way Jenna handled the theme of grief. Spock is suffering from a condition which, barring a miracle, will prove fatal. Spock and Kirk acknowledge this, and determine to live each day to its fullest—as it may well be their last. Jenna explores the complicated emotions of inevitable loss, and brilliantly combines this with the strength and intensity of their love. Anyone who has ever lived out the days of a serious illness of a loved one will recognize the emotional truth of her writing. Jenna said, in her editorial, that world events almost caused her to rethink the plot of this book. I'm glad she didn't. This is one of the most powerful fan novels I've ever read, and part of that is due to her unflinching look at the realities of terrorism and the power of bigoted ideas to inspire their followers to violence. There is a great deal of violence in this story—and this is real violence, not the cartoon violence of action movies. This is violence with consequence— consequence to both victim and victimizer. Her villain is no cardboard stock character, but rather a woman who has experienced savage abuse in her own life, and then goes on to lash out and victimize others. A personal note: I grew up in a town where domestic violence and abuse was all too common, and many of my friends suffered from this, both as children of abusive fathers, and wives/girlfriends of abusive husbands/boyfriends. I worked with one woman who had been married five times, to five different wife-beaters. And yet, people didn't question this mindset—this was 'just the way things were'. Jenna is able to absolutely capture and explore the claustrophobic, trapped mindset that allows a woman to stay in these circumstances—a worldview that doesn't allow for the possibility of any other life. Yet Jenna holds out the prospect of redemption and healing, no matter how difficult the path.

I was completely satisfied by the ending of this novel. And, oh yes, the art, particularly Suzan Lovett's breathtaking cover, is gorgeous.

In her preface to this story, the author mentions it has been ten years since the publication of "Promises to Keep" and this newest installment of her "Sharing the Sunlight" series. This was news to me and my first thought was "Ten years? Ten years?! You mean it's been ten years I've been begging, pleading, almost threatening this poor woman to hurry up and write her novel because I couldn't wait to find out WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!" (Oh sure, she did write bits and pieces of the saga in between, but these were just teasers, small pieces of candy dolled out on occasion when all one wanted was the entire bag). Well, all I can say is I'm glad she didn't listen to me and took her time because the final product was definitely worth the wait. "In the Shade" is a magnificent, unbelievable, more than

worthy sequel to her ongoing "STS" series. For those of you familiar with this series (and what K/Sr worth her salt isn't?), this author has chosen to create a much different future for these two men as opposed to the events portrayed in the six movies. In her world, there is no V'Ger, no Khan, and no return from the dead of everyone's favorite Vulcan. Yet, due in no small part to her extraordinary skills as a writer, she has managed to create a universe which is just as believable as what we saw on the big screen. And what makes it all work is that despite those differences, her writing has always, always remained true to the characters. Kirk is still Kirk and Spock is still Spock, and this simple truth is reflected in spades with this most extraordinary work. A typical example of this is when Kirk and Spock decide to purchase a home together. Now the last thing I would expect them (especially Kirk) to do is go house-hunting and deal with all the time-consuming, sometimes frustrating tasks of doing so. It is in neither man's character to waste their valuable time on such matters. Instead, Kirk hires a realtor to not only find the house, but furnish it as well, so in the end, all the two of them need to do is inspect the home and approve the handiwork. The realtor, it turns out, proves worthy of Kirk's faith in her abilities and, in one of those "little moments" that make K/S what it is, during the tour of the master bedroom, he is confident he doesn't need to look under the bedspread to know right underneath are a few thermal blankets designed to keep a certain Vulcan warm during the sometimes chilly San Francisco nights. While this is just one of many, many scenes Kirk/Spock scenes that makes this novel a joy to read, the author has not neglected her secondary characters, especially Fahtima. We learn much about this seemingly gentle, serene woman who to all outward appearance seems at times troubled but harmless. Yet it is soon discovered it is all a facade, for this is someone who has suffered a great deal all her life because she has had the misfortune to be born with a talent she does not want, a talent which could be used for good, but one which she is forced to use for evil. It is this talent, this dark power which could either destroy Kirk and Spock or give them the future they so desperately long for. Yet despite her desire for the former, it is her compassion and goodness as seen through the eyes of one Vulcan/human hybrid which proves to be her saving grace in more ways than one. Also something worthy of note, her portrayal of Komack, everyone's favorite admiral to hate (especially Kirk). While he does come across as a bastard much of the time, he also shows some surprising moments of compassion which almost makes you want to like the guy (almost, but not much). Also, there is the author's portrayal of Lori Ciani. Most TOS fans know her as Kirk's ex-wife as characterized by Gene Roddenberry in his novelization of ST:TMP, and in fandom, she has often been portrayed (for a variety of reasons) in a very poor light. Yet here she is first a colleague, then a friend of Kirk's, one who shows nothing but compassion and understanding during a lonely, painful time in his life. She also proves to be a test for Kirk's loyalty and fidelity toward Spock, a test which if he fails, could prove costly to both. Now I don't want to give too much detail away, but I will say I absolutely loved the fact the novel ended in much the same way it began, but for entirely different reasons. And in between are pages and pages and pages of hope and faith and loss and separation and fidelity and danger and pain and grief and forgiveness and most of all, love. The result is a story that takes not only Kirk and Spock, but also the reader, on an emotional journey neither they nor us will soon forget. "In The Shade" is an extraordinary story penned by an even more extraordinary author that is, in no uncertain terms, a must-read for every K/S fan.

And on a personal note, thank you, Jenna, for not making me wait any longer to find out WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

It’s K/S, but not as we know it. What is this novel doing in our slash genre? Surely it breaks the rules that say Kirk and Spock are fantasy figures, whose pain is not supposed to be real; themes of torture and terror are not supposed to be tackled honestly, eschewing titillation. The rule on original characters is transgressed to the extent that you could argue this story is Fahtima’s rather than Kirk’s and Spock’s. And what is this author thinking of taking ten years to get from the start of the series to this latest episode? Maybe providing the essential leadership that ensured this fandom’s survival distracted her.

I think that the publication of In the Shade is probably a defining moment in K/S. The work will certainly rank alongside Courts of Honor, but perhaps it is an entirely new K/S phenomenon; a really serious novel, examining big, painful themes truthfully, not for fun. And with technical crafting so conscientious, I can see how such intricate work could have taken years. Having read it twice now, the thought that strikes me first is that we have a story about fate, and yet the hand of fate is Jenna’s, like Lachesis who assigns destinies. The author creates the conditions under which her characters suffer or exult. Her structure is intricate but immovable, her style unflinching, unrelenting. By the last chapters I felt pounded into submission by detail and clarity and the rigid control of the author over her work. The only space the characters have to be agents in their own destinies is preordained anyway. No wonder Fahtima would like to wrestle with Lachesis/Jenna (133)! Personally, I wouldn’t dare.

[much snipped due to length]

Fahtima Gabon is the protagonist in this book. She is the one who is transformed as a result of the events. She is the only character who is allowed to escape the inexorable working out of destiny—she is allowed to remain a mystery, to avoid having to make the obvious reparation for her crimes, to remain ambivalent. She is the one who almost perceived the working of the author’s mind, and wished to wrestle with her. (Reminds me of Lyra confronting God in His Dark Materials series by Pulman.) Her little side-step at the end left K&S without memory of her part in their destiny. She is the one who hates herself for intruding on the love between Spock and Kirk, taking secret pleasure from watching their lovemaking. This was a stroke of genius on Jenna’s part. Fahtima is a wonderful character and, for me, what made this one of the most moving books I have ever read. Thank you, Jenna.

[the first volume]: In a fandom that has become distinguished for its exemplary creations, this novel stands as a towering achievement, a significant benchmark in our beloved world of KS. With this ingenious and compelling saga, Ms. Sinclair has succeeded in bringing to life unforgettable images of the boundless energy and bedrock passion of Kirk and Spock's eternal love; including, and most important for me, their undying spiritual bond. This confirmation of their union has been devoutly wished for by me throughout the wonderful prequels. Now my wish has been granted and I have been given much, much more.

Yet, amazingly, with all the sensuality, which I crave and which is the overriding element for me, ITS is a supremely refined piece of writing. It is impeccably edited and excitingly produced in black and white print which I found easy on the eyes. Thank you, Jenna! Thank you, Dusky! And thank you to Suzan Lovett for the touching, magically-colored covers which brought a mist to my eyes, after I had read the entire story and realized the increased importance of that lovely stone wall. The strategically distributed art—Shelley's, Suzan's, Liz's, Deeb's and Marianne Mueller's—is magnificent! All of it is used with striking effect, giving a resonance to the accompanying text and poems that turned me on to wonder and admiration. Their charm and expertise are too phenomenal for words. Every dreamy one of them brought a lump to my throat. Incredibly, the author has worked on this creation for ten years! Pitched it out and started again! And it shows! Etching our two heroes, and many other volatile characters, with galaxy-sweeping vision, wisdom and imagination, she has managed to find beauty and inspiration even in the hard political and social realities of life in the 23rd century. It is truly a work of staggering intellect, emotional and psychological complexity. It deserves the highest accolades. In short (I can hear you sighing), this story has gone straight to my heart and will be lodged there for the rest of my life, with my thanks to the Creator for giving me the time to experience, absorb and integrate these images into my being. A lot of big words, but with everything fresh in my mind I must give way to my strong reactions, the ones generated by this important and endearing story. Also, before I dive in, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how impressed I was by the author's erudite references to the classics of the ancient world of Greece and its myth of the Three Fates. These themes are deeply important to me and as every chapter unfolded and was influenced by these Fates, my enjoyment and awe were strengthened. I just loved the whole thing!

[much, pages and pages, snipped due to length]

May I say how very, very much I enjoyed reading In the Shade. I have only just finished it, as I was determined to take my time and savour the story. It seemed a long wait, but the sense of anticipation was fully justified. What a treat it was to realise that this was no hurried rush to conclusion, but a thoughtful, insightful exploration of the devastation and rebuilding of four intertwined lives. To touch on the original characters first, I found Hamza so difficult, a real challenge. It is hard to imagine how such a depth of hatred can exist for people one does not even know—and yet tragic experience tells us over and over again that ideologies can so often be perverted to justify the most dreadful of actions. To hate in the particular, for a specific personal reason, is at least understandable; people like Hamza have no justification other than their own sense of superiority and an absolute conviction that they are right. I found him chillingly believable, so much so that it was hard to feel anything other than sorrow for the devastation he caused.

Fahtima—oh, here Jenna excelled herself. The emotions she aroused ranged from pity to bewilderment and revulsion, yet even at the worst there was affection, and compassion for her situation. That one who herself had been so damaged, both physically and mentally, could inflict that same pain on others who had never harmed her seemed almost incredible; and yet the author portrayed so well her gratitude to and reliance on Hamza that made it inevitable that in the classic battered woman reaction she should pin all her hopes and desires on his wishes. It was unusual to tackle the issue of female circumcision, but I found it very effective. By coincidence, I had just been reading an article on its prevalence among certain immigrant communities in this country. The devastating effects this can have were really brought out. I also appreciated the way this hidebound traditional attitude of mind was used in counterpoint to another, where the Vulcan healers were so blinded to the possibility of any other belief than their own that they inflicted on Spock the same mental damage that was inflicted physically on Fahtima. As to Kirk and Spock, I wish I could convey the deep joy I felt reading their story. I had every confidence, of course, that they would eventually be brought back 'into the sunlight', so to speak, but I couldn't be certain that this novel would accomplish it, and so I lived the story with them. This Kirk is a masterpiece. So often he is depicted these days as a slightly superficial, almost insensitive character, but Jenna always seems to touch the deepest wells of his being. His gentleness, his faith, his determination and loyalty are a wonderful insight into the Kirk I need to exist. Spock balances him perfectly. His agony at the loss of the bond, its very denial by the Vulcan healers, is painful to the reader but is a very necessary illustration of how deep the love between the two is and always will be. The artwork complements the story wonderfully. It is a great gift to be able to portray Kirk and Spock, not Shatner and Nimoy. The combination of pictures and prose has created a zine that cannot help but become one of the classics of fandom.

I think what I must thank Jenna for above all else is for reminding me so very beautifully why I came to love Kirk and Spock in the first place.

[volume #2]: My appetite whetted and my expectations raised by the intriguing first volume, I was understandably keen to get into the rest of this thought-provoking psychological drama. I was not disappointed. At the core of it is a refreshing premise of literal fantasy, one I had never taken to before. My head stuck in the sands of sweetness and light, I've rarely faced reality in my K/S reading. But this novel brought me around and I enjoyed its theme immensely, feeling enriched because my heroes' future “reality” had come alive for me.

ITS's atmosphere could have been oppressive. Instead it is full of light, though I wasn't sure at times who the good guys really were. Was it really the Federation? Was the conflict in me what I feel about my own country? The novel, as the author says, inadvertently mirrors our society and what is happening today. Rich in detail, it is chock full of intelligent reasoning, exciting action and love love love! The journey through this second volume was heart- wrenching and at times unbearable. I couldn't fight it, though I was still longing for pure joy. I got it. But I had to work for it, wending my way through stretches of Kirk's loneliness, the underhanded actions of Versin at Golgotharen and the exposed layers of the Federation's misguided bureaucracy. Along with these threads, others of love, loss and acceptance, courage and sacrifice were woven tautly into the narrative. The author masters the gripping content and pulls everything together to create a canvas of enlightenment, understanding and forgiveness. Once or twice in my mind, though, the threads nearly broke. My sympathy for and identification with Fahtima (she casts a long shadow over these proceedings) were absent. She is completely brainwashed by the horrible Hamza and I could not fathom why, even given the atrocity committed on her in her youth; did this have to color her entire lifetime of decisions? Thus I kept asking myself and was somehow unresponsive to this woman who was supposed to grab my heart. What I felt for her were anger, incredulity and resentment. For one reason because, besides her lethal intentions toward Kirk, she listens in on his and Spock's sacred lovemaking, penetrating their emotions and taking them for herself. I was aghast, even knowing her “reasoning.” Yet she did elicit some positive responses from me and the resonance of her fate stayed with me long after I closed the book. I can only hope to see more of this enigmatic female in the author's future work; to possibly see her receive salvation and get more answers (for me) for her reprehensible behavior. I have to say, though, that I reserved my deepest disgust for Hamza and was sickened by him and his twisted logic. I know I'm getting this review backwards, but bear with me; there is so much of importance going on. In any event, the stage was set at the end of part one and I was sad. Kirk had been dealt a punishing emotional blow. It would have taken out any other man. Not Kirk. Despite the false, deadening reports from Golgotharen, he is not at first angry or hopeless (but I am frustrated as hell!). He makes this mission his reason for being—for now, until Spock returns to him. Kirk never doubts that he will and his energy and charisma makes him irresistible.

[much snipped, pages and pages, due to length]

The rest is history. There are many things I did not go into: the relationship of Spock and Deverans at Golgotharen; the relationship of Kirk and Lori (does he or doesn't he? Only his Vulcan knows for sure.); the real relationship of Fahtima and Hamza. The connections between Spock and Fahtima and their brilliantly rendered thoughts and conversations about the singing trees of Sinoptus. Nothing I've said or could say, however, could convey the relationship created between the readers and this powerful text. It is a constantly shifting tension vibrating between the mind and the written word. It is as old as, in the Greek Tradition, that between Sappho and her poems (her daughters), and her contemporary writers. So dive in and savor it. I leave the delicious finale at that, another precious nugget waiting to be mined by passionate readers. Good luck and good reading.

Only a truly fearless writer would open a K/S novel with a prologue that tackles a subject guaranteed to be a stunning turn-off for female readers. Only a truly talented writer could pull it off, and Jenna does. Every bit of this skillfully written prologue is absolutely essential to the rest of the novel—it is a disturbing but necessary introduction to what follows.

And what follows is a work of fiction that succeeds on many levels—as a fascinating character study, an involving tale of adventure and intrigue, a thoughtful examination of the forces that shape us all, and, of course, as great K/S and a wonderful addition to Jenna's "Sharing the Sunlight" series. I think if I had to find one word to characterize this novel, that word would be "realistic." That may seem a strange way to describe a K/S tale—especially one that includes the fantasy of being able to hire a "full-service relocation expert" who will secure a lovely apartment and then furnish it beautifully and tastefully with everything its occupants might want or need so that all said occupants have to do is unlock the door, step inside, and enjoy. Wow. The very thought leaves me almost (note that I did say "almost") as breathless as the wonderful, loving scenes of intimacy that Jenna has given us in this novel. But despite its clear fantasy elements, In the Shade is, indeed, realistic. This is due in part to Jenna's attention to detail. It takes a lot of patience and research to create such convincing descriptions of everything from earthbound settings to the exotic Graves Gravitational Mass. Jenna's juxtaposition of the ordinary with the fantastic is quite effective. But her convincing characterizations are even more impressive: rich, deep, and complex, they are the very opposite of formulaic. The best example of this is the original character Fahtima, who plays a central role throughout the novel. With this character, Jenna has graphically demonstrated that thoughts are indeed the ultimate weapon. If Fahtima has a tragic flaw, it is not that she possesses a powerful, inhuman talent, or that she has had the great misfortune to be raised by people who feared and abused her. Those difficulties might have been overcome if Fahtima had not wanted, so very desperately, to be "normal"—to be exactly like everyone else. It is the illusion of some "normal" state to which we should all aspire that causes so very many of the ills we see in this novel and, indeed, in our daily lives: religious bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia—in short, distrust of anything or anyone perceived to be "alien." But the truth is that we are all alien in some way, and it is in accepting those differences that we accept ourselves.

[much snipped due to length]

This story is, more than anything else, a comparison between lust and love, between unwilling submission and adoration-fueled desire. It is a most readable and revealing study done in a most unusual way. I never tire of seeing Kirk and Spock’s love for each other through another’s eyes – it is a rare and awesome thing to behold. Loved this story!

Reactions and Reviews: Art

[both covers]: If these portraits of Kirk and Spock don’t move you, make you sigh, rivet you, render you speechless, and reduce you to a senseless blob of protoplasm twitching on the floor, it’s time to switch to another fandom. The only word for this artwork is exquisite.

I’m told Kirk is very difficult to draw, but here he is rendered perfectly. Are you a Spock lover? You couldn’t ask for a better portrayal. The pose is non sexual, but so warm and tender, that it shouts “I love you” louder than the most erotic illo could do. You want more? How about the fiery colors of an autumn day, three Fates to decide our heroes’ future, that famous Iowa wall we’ve heard so much about. Volume II’s cover even has those beautiful hyacinths that symbolize Kirk’s and Spock’s love for each other.

These covers are truly masterpieces and a precious gift to fandom. Thank you, Suzan.

[cover of issue #1]: For all 21+ years of my K/S lifetime, I have been looking for the perfect portrait of Kirk and Spock. My hopes for such an image are very high because it must capture each of their essences to perfection. Spock’s intelligence and serenity must be there, yet his eyes must betray all that he sees when they behold the man he loves. Kirk must be strong and confident and he must be looking at his lover with admiration, devotion and a hint of longing. They must both be in the prime of their lives, their unique blend of incredible masculinity and almost ethereal beauty must be captured. I prefer that they not be in uniform, as this portrait will ideally have found them in a private and very special moment—a moment of discovery or declaration that will change their lives forever. They will, of course, be touching. Their contact, while not erotic, must be tender and loving, intense, worshipful and simultaneously enchanting. Kirk and Spock must be at ease with each other in their ultimate portrait, relaxed and confident, lost in silent communion with each other. Their image shall be something I can hold in my heart and call upon whenever I think of the K/S legend, of this most beautiful of all romances, of the timeless love that I envision between them.

Such fanciful wishes were far from my thoughts when, early in July, I saw “In the Shade” for the first time. I stood, literally transfixed, my breath imprisoned in my throat, my heart pounding. There, on the cover of Jenna Sinclair’s new novel, was the portrait of Kirk and Spock that I have envisioned and yearned for since I discovered K/S. Suzan Lovett has created a masterpiece—an awesome illustration that defies description. It is rich and vibrant, and contains every element that I have ever wished for. Unbelievably, there is an element that is very dear to me that was never a part of my fantasy: the hues of autumn, the graceful beauty of coppery leaves bathed in sunlight. That Suzan’s art incorporates many elements of the Sharing the Sunlight universe is significant. The Three Fates and the memorable rock wall are there, but they are inconsequential in comparison to the impact of the central images: Kirk and Spock.

This is undeniably my dream come true—and I can but say: Thank you, Suzan—my search is over.

[art]: Check out all the artwork for both these zines by these artists! They totally rock. They’re two of my favorite artists in the K/S fandom. The details and the techniques used to create such magnificent pieces for these two zines are just the best. They are what I wish I could do. My hats off to them. Bravo!!!

[art -- "SHOULD I TRUST YOU" by Shelley Butler]: I loved all of the art in In the Shade, but this is my favorite piece. It depicts Spock with Deverans, a Vulcan healer. Spock is in the foreground and his head is bowed, his eyes are closed, and the expression on his face—a mixture of frustration, anguish, anger, and uncertainty— is just right, considering what is happening in the novel at this point. He is naked, and though the picture stops just below his navel, we do get to see his prominent collar bones, lightly muscled arms, well-defined ribs, and the stripe of dark hair that runs down the middle of his torso. (And speaking of hair, as usual, Shelley's technique of layering many, many fine lines creates a very realistic effect whether she's drawing that stripe down Spock's middle, his eyelashes and eyebrows, or the hair on his head.) Even though I'm always happy to see more of Spock, I think that making this a full length portrait would have been a mistake, because the focus should be on Spock's face and including more of him would have been a distraction.

Deverans is also very nicely portrayed, which I find quite impressive, because he is one of Jenna's original characters. I don't know if Shelley used a model for this portrait, but however she did it, this man really looks like a Vulcan, not like a human with Vulcan ears and eyebrows tacked on. The way he holds his body is definitely Vulcan; his bangs and the shape of his face seem very Vulcan also, even though they are different from Spock's. And the expression on Deveran's face is perfect too: there are no blatant signs of emotion in his features, but you can tell from the intensity of his gaze that he cares deeply about Spock. (And Deverans, by the way, is almost as attractive as Spock. Yum.)

Every time I look at this portrait (and I've looked at it a lot!) I marvel over Shelley's talent, skill, and dedication to her art.