Love Conquers All
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Love Conquers All |
| Publisher: | Dog-House Press (1998), Gryphon Press (2011) |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | POM |
| Cover Artist(s): | |
| Illustrator(s): | |
| Date(s): | September 1998, reprinted in 2011 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Professionals |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Love Conquers All is a 38-page slash AU Professionals novel by POM set in Regency England, featuring Wilberforce Adolphus Pericles Bodie, his best friend Florence Murphy, and Doyle's Aunt Georgina Cowley.
The zine was originally published in 1998 by Dog-House Press and was reprinted in 2011.
This zine is dedicated to HG.
From the reprint publisher: "This 22,173 word, 34 page, hysterical (sorry, historical) B/D novella is set in Regency England and follows in the best (?) tradition of Barbara Cartland. Please note this novella may be unsuitable for those of a nervous disposition - or those who take their Professionals very seriously.
The Author Comments
"It is rather short for a stand-alone zine, but can I refer everyone to the first line of the review: This zine is not for the sense-of- humour-impaired". Love Conqueis All is extremely silly and there are a lot of fans who take The Professionalsvery seriously. In view of this, Dog-House Press felt it was better not to put it into a zine with more serious work. I was just happy to see it published." [1]
Excerpt
An excerpt: "Ray's hands were roughly pulled behind his back and tied tightly at the wrists. In the gloom he could not see his attackers clearly, but from their voices and their smell he knew that they were not gentlemen. In vain he attempted to speak, to tell them that he had no money and it was pointless to kidnap him as there was no one who would pay any ransom."
Reactions and Reviews
This zine is not for the sense-of-humour-impaired. Set in Regency England, it's Barbara Cartland Eat Your Heart Out time. It features many characters who sound (and are) familiar. There's nasty Aunt Georgina Cowley, who treats young Raymond Doyle so badly that when Ray is kidnapped from Cowley Mansion it's a blessing in disguise. The Bodie in this story has an even worse set of first names than his twentieth-century counterpart: Wilberforce Adolphus Pericles. His best friend is Florence Murphy. Without going into too much detail: Doyle finds himself confined in one of Bodie's homes, Bodie's staff looking after his every need. (Though I would have shot Nanny!) Bodie comes to the house where Doyle is prisoner and over a short period, they grow close. Then a moustache-stroking villain turns up: Graf Schumann... The only tiny moan I have about this zine is its size. I think the story should really have been part of a larger zine. But apart from that, it is a happy, gigglesome read. [2]
"The flyer in Pillow Talk II warned that 'this novella may be unsuitable for those of a nervous disposition -- or those who take their Pros too seriously' -- and boy, I now know why! Written in the style of Barbara Cartland (only much better!), this is a mischievous tale full of misunderstandings, abductions, mistaken identities, and love at first sight which should gladden the heart of anyone who's read just one too many fraught and angst-ridden Pros story. It may seem odd, therefore, when i begin by confessing that as a story 'Love Conquers All' didn't really work for me at all. What's worse is that I'm not sure why; there's nothing I can really put my finger on. It may be that I'm not yet up to speed on Prosdom, and may have missed many of the allusions. Whatever the reason, I enjoyed the style rather more than the context. That said, it shouldn't be inferred that this is a bad zine by any means; it's merely personal taste rather than anything more serious! Nor do I mean that 'Love...' is all surface gloss and no depth, since this is highly entertaining stuff: it's just the plot doesn't work for me. But there's plenty to like about this novella, from its witty and well-chosen cover to the cheeky reference to other Pros characters. POM clearly had great fun writing this novella; her lovely use of language captures Babs style all too well, and the excruciating discussions between Raymond Doyle and the Earl of Lewis on the subject of elves are themselves almost worth the price of the zine alone.'Love conquers all' is a zine for Pros AU fans who like being entertained by an affectionate tongue-in-cheek, light, fun, frothy story featuring our favorite CI5 agents .. and quite frankly, in mind's eye, Bodie looks very good in Regency dress..."[3]