Knitted Souls

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Zine
Title: Knitted Souls
Publisher:
Editor(s): LRH Balzer & Warren Oddsson & Gil Hale
Date(s): 1997-2003
Series?:
Medium: print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Sentinel
Language: English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Knitted Souls is a gen Sentinel fanzine published by Oddbalz & Mayhem Press.

It is an anthology that reprinted internet posted fanfic and ran for ten issues.

Regarding the Title

From the fourth issue's editorial:

The whole concept of Knitted Souls is something Jim Ellison quotes to Blair in "Promises in the Dark." It's a verse from the Bible, describing the legendary friendship of David and Jonathan.

"The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself."
I've found that a beautiful description of Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison.

Regarding the Series: Fan Comments

Print publication of Internet fan fiction, largely her own work, which is all highly readable and heavy on “the relationship good stuff.” No Center Line, her Sentinel/Nash Bridges crossover novel, has become a popular hurt/comfort tale in this fandom, but it has a plot that stands as more than just a framework for the h/c. It explores the depths of the characters and examines the relationships between them. In other issues of the zine, Lois gets major points for making available in print form some Martha Taylor classics ("Plank," "Snake Oil"). Martha is one of the best and brightest lights in fandom (any fandom). And, in addition to the printed word, most of the issues are enhanced by the beautiful portraiture work of the late Warren Oddsson. [1]

Issue 1

Knitted Souls 1 was published in October 1997 and is 95 pages long.

The cover and interior art is by Warren Oddsson.

cover of issue #1, Warren Oddsson, print edition
cover of issue #1, PDF version

The stories are all part of a series by LRH Balzer, and were also posted online.

The author's forward:

This has certainly been an experiment for me — publishing stories that originally appeared on my webpage on the Internet. But there is something about the printed page.... The stories just didn't feel "finished" on the Net. I kept working on them, changing them, adding to them, and then I decided to gather the five together and put them into a fanzine form, something I am more comfortable with, something that feels completed.

And so, here you have my first efforts at Sentinel fan fiction. "Surveillance" is from Jim's point of view, and probably takes place early in the second season. It was written in response to the July 1997 "Smarm Challenge" on the Internet, to write a story that shows warmth and caring between the two men without resorting to injuries or other traumas that usually lend itself to hurt/comfort. "Rose by Any Other Name" is from Blair's point of view, a comedy piece that came to me while standing staring at a long row of shampoo and conditioners... "River's Edge" was written in response to the August "Camping Challenge". This story takes place a few weeks after the episode Survival and also touches on Blind Man's Bluff.

When I watched the third season opener, Warriors, it seemed there were a whole lot of plot-holes that needed to be addressed. After a bit of contemplation, doing some research, and watching the episode many, many times. I came up with "Legacy", my take on the episode and the Sentinel/Shaman situation. And the last story in this series, "Promises in the Dark", begins a few seconds after the Story "Legacy" ends. 1 wanted to take the other stories I'd written and tie them together. The whole concept of "Knitted Souls" is introduced in "River's Edge", but is expanded in this story.

I hope you enjoy these stories. If you've already read them on the net and are buying the zine for Warren's artwork-1 know you'll like the artwork. He's done his usual outstanding job. I've also had some excellent beta readers- Thanks to Cathy, Kitty, Kathy, Laura and Marcelle.

  • from issue #1

  • from issue #1

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

See reactions and reviews for River's Edge.

[Surveillance]: That was nice. A short somewhat introspective Jim piece. Perhaps the Jim here is a bit more mature and introspective than the "real" Jim, but hey, I liked it. Another addendum: this story was nominated in the 2000 & 2001 Cascade Times awards in the Smarm category. "A Rose by Any Other Name": That was cool. Friendship and senses. That was really nice without being nicey-nicey. In character for both, cute details. Addendum: nominated for favourite humour story in the 2001 Cascade Times Awards. [River's Edge]: That was so cool - again! Very good point about someone else's need to protect not meaning that the protectee is weak or a wimp. That's an eternal verity - ten bonus points! Another gentle Jim thing - gentle but not really out of character, strangely enough. Not sappy. Maybe because much of it was nonverbal. Another five bonus points for the "David and Johnathan" bit. [The Legacy]: This is the best followup to "Warriors" that I've read, partly because it actually ties up loose ends that everybody else has ignored. The other reason is that it catches the reality of grief - another thing that other ones I've read haven't done as well. Good character stuff, Blair's uncertainty, Jim's grief, Blair's grief - and all while trying to carry on their life as usual - this isn't just a sentiment feast. [Promises in the Dark]: This follows on almost immediately from Legacy. (contented sigh). Perhaps a little too sentimental, but nice. [2]

Issue 2

cover of issue #2 (print edition), Warren Oddsson
thumb

Knitted Souls 2 was published in April 1998 and is 109 pages long.

The fiction is by LRH Balzer.

It has a cover and interior art by Warren Oddsson.

From the author's notes:

The first zine, "Knitted Souls" was an experiment for me -- publishing stories that originally appeared on my webpage on the Internet. The results were positive, so here Warren and 1 are offering our second collection of Sentinel art and stories.

The whole concept of Knitted Souls is something Jim Ellison quotes to Blair in "Promises in the Dark". It a verse from the Bible, describing the legendary friendship of David and Jonathan. "The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself."

I've found that a beautiful description of Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison. In the first issue of "Knitted Souls", the two men work out what this means to them. In this second issue, they put it into use, continuing to develop their friendship.

  • The Box (won the 2006 Light My Fire Award for Outstanding Smarm Story) (8 pages)
  • Just The Fax ("It's December 31st and Blair receives a fax at the university that could ruin his New Year's Eve plans.") (11 pages)
  • Some Are Silver, The Others Gold (won 2000 Burton Award for Best Long Story) ("This is the longest Sentinel story I've written yet. I should have a PG-13 warning on it, as it does concert adult situations, although I've tried not to be graphic.") (88 pages)

  • from issue #2

  • from issue #2

  • from issue #2

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

[The Box]: Just a little character piece for the festive season. Nice. "Just the Fax...": Another holiday, another introspect, another misunderstanding, another affirmation. Enjoyable. [Some Are Silver... The Others, Gold]: Nice, long, good. Okay, there's hurt, and there's comfort, character stuff, and, well, Naomi. Interesting point about Blair's itinerant childhood having the affect of making his usual friendships superficial, good point. Addendum: this story won the 2000 Cascade Times Awards in the Long Story category. [3]

Issue 3

Knitted Souls 3 was published in April 1998 and is 190 pages long. It contains no interior art.

The publisher includes all of the author's email addresses.

From the publisher:

This is the third zine in the "Knitted Souls" series, and the first that contains no stories whatsoever written by me! This zine is the first of several I hope to put out (with the individual writers permission, of course) with some of my favorite 'smarmy' Sentinel stories, and I've added a few favorites of my friends', as well.

cover of issue #3, Warren Oddsson
inside issue #3, sample text

Issue 4

cover of issue #4, Warren Oddsson
sample text from issue #4

Knitted Souls 4 was published in May 1998 and is 138 pages long.

The cover is by Warren Oddsson. It contains no interior art.

From the publisher:

I found that I had too many stories for one zine - in fact, my favorite stories will take a few zines to do. This is the fourth zine in the "Knitted Souls" series, and the second that contains no stories whatsoever written by me! This zine is the second of several I hope to put out (with the individual writers permission, of course) with some of my favorite 'smarmy' Sentinel stories, and I've added a few favorites of my friends', as well.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 4

See reactions and reviews for Snake Oil.

Issue 5

cover of issue #5, Warren Oddsson
inside page of #5, page from Plank

Knitted Souls 5 was published in September 1998 and is 148 pages long.

The cover is by Warren Oddsson.

  • The Whole Connection by Jackie Lang (68 pages)
  • Fame by Sis (5 pages)
  • What Might Have Been by Majik (two pieces, Emergence, and Chance Encounters) (7 pages)
  • The Dance of the Wolf by Danny D (11 pages)
  • Plank by Martha (55 pages)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 6

See reactions and reviews for Plank.

[What Might Have Been]: What started as a missing scene and turned into an AU for Switchman - what if Blair hadn't been there, hadn't burst in to Jim's examination room pretending to be Dr. McKay? Very good what-if, alternative Switchman. The second to be written in the What Might Have Been series, though it is labeled as the third story. This is chiefly frustrating because there isn't enough of it; it's a mere prologue to what we know is the rest of the story. This was good (when is she going to write the rest?) showing a plausible situation of what might have happened as a consequence. The Simon in this series is more sympathetic to "the senses thing" possibly because he's seen more of it and knows what problems it entails; or perhaps simply because he's more sympathetic, full stop. Apparently the other to-be-written stories in this series are (2) To Serve And Protect (4) Testing Boundaries (5) Sentinel and Guide, but she ain't written them yet... [4]

Issue 6

cover of issue #6 (print edition), Warren Oddsson
cover of issue #6, online edition

Knitted Souls 6 was published in October 1999 and is 132 pages long.

The cover and interior art is by Warren Oddsson.

The fiction is all by LRH Balzer.

  • from issue #6, portrays Megan Connor

  • from issue #6, portrays Rafe

  • from issue #6

  • from issue #6

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 6

[Double Room]: Bridge between Some Are Silver... The Others, Gold and No Center Line. Nightmares, hotel room, and different points of view. Addendum: This one just makes me go "Ahhhh". A good followup to the angst of both Some Are Silver... and to Prisoner X as Jim and Blair try to comfort each other while hiding their own needs. And I like how Daryl slept on, blissfully unaware of what everyone else was doing... Another Addendum: nominated for favourite epilogue in the 2001 Cascade Times Awards. [Feet on the Couch]: Very Good. How Blair got invited into Jim's life. This one takes the slant that the Sentinel-Guide thing is instinctual - including a need for the Sentinel to protect the Guide. I loved the bits where Jim is arguing with himself about it; the head and the heart. Addendum: this story won the 2000 Cascade Times Awards in the "best missing scene" category. [5]

Issue 7

cover of issue #7 (print edition), "No Center Line"
cover of issue #7, online edition

Knitted Souls 7 was published in May 1999 and is 186 pages long.

It contains the Sentinel/Nash Bridges/Millennium crossover novel No Center Line.

This issue won the 2000 Burton Award for Best Crossover Story and for Best Comfort Scene and the 2004 Light My Fire Award for Outstanding Crossover and Outstanding Novel.

It is online here on LRHB's site.

Warnings from the online version:

WARNING: This is written for an adult audience. (It is not slash, but it does contain violent scenes and references to male rape [non-explicit]) If you are under 19, please go back a page and read some of the other stories. This one isn't for you. There. You've been warned. If you still wish to proceed...

Summary:

When Sandburg is kidnapped, Ellison connects with other police departments up and down the coast who have also had detectives go missing, including Nash Bridges’ detective Evan Cortez in San Francisco. A inter-agency meeting is called in Seattle, with Frank Black (Millennium) offering his services. But getting Sandburg back is only half the challenge Ellison faces, when Sandburg goes back to rescue Evan and the others.

  • from issue #7

  • from issue #7

  • from issue #7

  • from issue #7

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 7

I love all of Lois Balzer's work. She was one of the writers who got me hooked on TS right at the start. No Centre Line is my favourite of all her stories :-) [6]

Really really good, though very nasty in places, be warned. She makes other stories which feature a (psychic) connection between Jim and Blair look crude and clumsy by comparison. Good use of Frank Black, definitely. I've never seen Nash Bridges, but that wasn't a problem, there was enough backstory for me not to be lost. The only thing I didn't get was the meaning of the title, actually. Addendum: this story won the 2000 Cascade Times Awards in the Crossover category. Also, the "Jim and Simon give Blair a bath" scene won the "best comfort scene" category. [7]

This is hurt/comfort/smarm done right. It has a real plot. The situation is horrific, but believable. The victimized men are vulnerable, but not weak. It doesn't have a pat happy ending where good triumphs completely. There are costs.

While primarily a Sentinel story 'No Center Line' crosses over with Nash Bridges and, to a lesser extent, Millennium, though knowledge of them is not required to enjoy the story.

Blair Sandburg and Evan Cortez of San Francisco are among ten police officers kidnapped by a sadistic businessman who produces live Internet porn and snuff videos. When Sandburg is almost miraculously recovered, Nash observes the power of the unembarrassed care and unconditional support given their traumatized friend by Jim and Simon. The surviving officers are still in danger and only Blair's courage and resourcefulness can rescue them. Even if Evan is recovered Nash wonders if he will be able to give his friend the kind of support he will need, the kind of caring he has observed between Jim, Simon, and Blair.

No Center Line is the sixteenth installment in a long story arc, though each one can be read as a stand alone. [8]

Ooh, this is one of my favourite all-time fics - I love it so much. I was even motivated to buy it in zine form from the author, along with all her other TS work, despite the fact that it took months to actually get across the Atlantic *g*. Lois Balzer's stories were totally instrumental in luring me into the fandom - they were some of the first I read, and they are still way up there in my list of frequent re-reads. [9]

Lois Balzer is a favorite author of mine in this fandom. No Center Line is a TS/Nash Bridges/Millennium crossover. It contains some fairly heavy violence and adult themes. Lois manages to merge the crossover series so well here that it really doesn't matter whether you know the other shows or not. I've never seen Nash Bridges but was easily able to envision the characters from that show while reading this. The connection between Jim and Blair is so well drawn that it pulls you in from the beginning and keeps you reading till the end. Jim never gives up on finding Blair even when things seem hopeless and the aftermath of what's happened still brings tears to my eyes when I'm reading this story. [10]

Issue 8

cover of issue #8 (print edition), Warren Oddsson
cover of issue #8, PDF edition, Warren Oddsson

Knitted Souls 8 was published in July 2000 and is 129 pages long.

The fiction is all by LRH Balzer.

The cover and interior art is by Warren Oddsson.

  • from issue #8

  • from issue #8

  • from issue #8

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 8

[And I Dreamed that I am Home Again]: I hung on every word as they dripped from the pen of the author, since I discovered this story existed (which was after the first three parts were written). Now I've got to the end, I say, "Huh? That's all?" I was hoping for an epilogue, really. Actually see them talk about what happened. Oh well. I enjoyed what I got. This story is the aftermath of No Center Line, and in a way, also an aftermath of "Sentinel Too". An intriguing theory, there. Addendum: nominated for favourite angst story, 2001 Cascade Times Awards. [Roasting by the Fire]: One year after The Box, another nice Christmas tale; peace and quiet, down and up. [11]

Issue 9

cover of issue #9, print edition
cover of issue #9, PDF version

Knitted Souls 9 was published in 2002 and is 190 pages long. On the cover: "In Memory of Warren Oddsson."

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 9

See reactions and reviews for I Liked That Toothbrush.


Issue 10

cover of issue #10, print edition
cover of issue #10, PDF version

Knitted Souls 10 was published in April 2003 and is 192 pages long.

References

  1. ^ comment by kslangley at What was your first fandom?, August 28, 2016
  2. ^ from Kathryn A at Katspace, posted January 2000, accessed June 4, 2013
  3. ^ from Kathryn A at Katspace, posted January 2000, accessed June 4, 2013
  4. ^ from Kathryn A at Katspace, posted July 5, 2000, accessed June 4, 2013
  5. ^ from Kathryn A at Katspace, posted January and April 2000, accessed June 4, 2013
  6. ^ Desert Island fic comment by Fluterbev at Desert Island Fic, February 23, 2008
  7. ^ from Kathryn A at Katspace, posted January 2000, accessed June 4, 2013
  8. ^ a 2006 comment at Crack Van
  9. ^ a 2006 comment at Crack Van
  10. ^ 2010 comments at Crack Van
  11. ^ from Kathryn A at Katspace, posted January and July 2000, accessed June 4, 2013
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