Jeu-Parti
| Star Trek DS9 Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Jeu-Parti |
| Author(s): | Macedon |
| Date(s): | 1996-1997 |
| Length: | 100,000 words |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
| External Links: | Series page at the AO3 |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Jeu-Parti is a Star Trek: Deep Space 9 fan fiction trilogy by Macedon.
This series deals with a number of sensitive topics from masculinity and male/male relationships, to living with depression, to constructions of family. It also explores Vulcan culture.
The stories, which focus on Jake Sisko's relationship with a Vulcan castrato, Salene, are: Orfeo (written c. 1996) - When Bajor hosts an interstellar music festival, to which a very unusual star singer is invited, Jake must face questions about friendship, manhood and culture, as well as freedoms of belief.
The Eye of the Storm (1997) - This story is a sequel to the DS9 episode, "Nor the Battle to the Strong," as well as to "Orfeo." It is rated [R] for some sexual material. Persons under 18, or those who have trouble with gay fiction, should read no further.
Anslem (1997) - The final story in the DS9 novel, JEU-PARTI, sequel to "Orfeo" and "Eye of the Storm." Eleven years after his abrupt, late-night departure, Salene reappears in Jake's life. He finds a twenty-nine-year-old Jake whose writing career is beginning to blossom even while his private life is falling apart.
Reactions and Reviews
Macedon was, for years, one of the greats in the Star Trek fanfic world, especially in alt.startrek.creative. It was a great loss for the fandom when he retired from writing fanfiction. Fortunately for us, his website is still available. His story Wisdom and Beauty has already been recced; I'm reccing at least this series, and possibly one other this month. Macedon's greatest gift is the ability to take an idea, a theme, a moral (or a set of them, for his longer works) and make them come to life in the lives and thoughts of his characters. He explores issues realistically, without ever becoming preachy or moralistic or filled with platitudes, and he does it because everything (plot, theme, world-building, etc.) flows naturally from the lives of his characters. He makes every character he writes (original or not) be realistic, three-dimensional, and fascinating. Jeu-Parti is the three-part story of Jake Sisko, the son of Commander Benjamin Sisko, and his relationship with a Vulcan named Salene. But it's also about more than that. It's about choosing to be different, about choosing to pursue your dreams at the expense of normality, about dealing with society's disapproval, about friendship, about love, about family, about mental illness, about the difficulty of building a relationship--friendship or other--across cultural lines. [1]
Macedon also wrote Jeu-Parti, a DS9 three-parter that is every bit as good. The series spans over several years and revolves around the relationship between Jake Sisko and a young Vulcan singer. Jake's characterization is on to start with, and Macedon adds layers and dimension to what we've seen in canon. Salene, the Vulcan, is so three-dimensional and fascinating a character that he can carry his share of the story, easily. Macedon writes gripping plot and explores all kinds of complex themes while telling his story. If you don't like slash, if you don't read DS9, I say you'd still enjoy this series. It's just that good and original. (The first part is gen.)[2]
Anyway, Jacquez recced a novel that slashed Jake Sisko with an original Vulcan character... and I fell in love. Amazing world-building. Fantastic characterization. All the angst and joy that comes from falling in love; the difficulties of Vulcan and human culture clashes; emotion that is honest and real; actions that have consequences... Macedon's Jeu-Parti amazed me. This is an unusually mature-feeling work that doesn't rush into anything, but lets the story develop at its own speed. And also, there are more cool Vulcan OCs than you can shake a stick at- though I can't imagine why you'd want to do such an illogical thing. In three parts, Orfeo, Eye of the Storm, and Anslem.[4]
References
- ^ 2008 rec at Crack Van
- ^ "fic rec: DS9 (Jake Sisko)". Archived from the original on 2012-11-30.
- ^ "ST: Deep Space 9 at Espresso Recommendations". Archived from the original on 2022-09-02.
- ^ "MaggieFic: The Recs 2002". Archived from the original on 2022-09-02.