Madman of Lesath II
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Madman of Lesath II |
| Author(s): | Deborah Cummins |
| Date(s): | (1986), 2007 |
| Length: | |
| Genre(s): | slash |
| Fandom(s): | Star Trek: TOS |
| Relationship(s): | Kirk/Spock |
| External Links: | Madman of Lesath II fic on AO3 |
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Madman of Lesath II is a Kirk/Spock story by Deborah Cummins. It was the winner of a 2008 FanQ.
It was first published in 1986 as a gen story in Voyages #1.
It was rewritten as slash for T'hy'la #27.
Summary
"Kirk and Spock have been bonded for only six months when Spock is mentally attacked and possessed by an insanely evil alien."
Reactions and Reviews
On the Table of Contents page in this zine, it is mentioned that this was originally a gen story, published in “Voyages” 1. Since I do not own this zine, I’ve never read the original version, and I have to say, I am glad I didn’t. This story is so intense, so packed with gripping emotion and suspense, and by reading it “fresh”, rather than as a comparison to that first version, I sincerely believe it resulted in leaving a much greater impact on me.Here, Kirk and Spock, already in an established relationship, beam down to a planet for routine surveillance to see if it was a possibility for establishing a settlement. Yet this simple mission soon spells disaster for Spock, whose body is taken over by a being that is nothing short of pure evil. Its powers seem limitless and its utter lack of compassion threatens everything Kirk holds dear in life, most notably his beloved Vulcan. Yet it’s the being’s actions against Kirk himself which could prove to be the catalyst for destroying all that he has with Spock, even though those actions give Spock the opportunity to give Kirk the information he needs to destroy the malevolent entity determined to possess Spock’s body and his soul. Yet just as it seems success has been achieved, the acts the being forced Spock to perform against Kirk threaten to destroy all that they have become to each other.
I can only akin reading this story as being on a ship caught in the swells of a storm, riding cresting waves of agony and despair, trust and hope, destruction and evil, and most of all, faith and undying love. Yet even after the ship finally finds safe port, the storm continues to rage somewhere out at sea, still a threat to the peace and serenity that were once a staple to these two men’s lives. I only hope the author takes this particular ship out to sea again to give Kirk and Spock a chance to conquer that storm once and for all, and to prove, as the old saying goes, “That good will always triumph over evil”. [1]
I want very much to throw something fragile and watch it splinter into a million pieces.Why? I‘ve just finished reading 'Madman of Lesath II' and I can‘t remember ever being so frustrated and distressed by the events of a story. Along with smashing a delicate object, I want to scream like a banshee. This reaction says so much more about the amazing talent of Deborah Cummins than it says about my frame of mind, because it is her fertile imagination that has put me in such a state. We know by reputation her stories will be hurt/comfort K/S, so one might wonder how different one can be from the next. Well, I can tell you this – when I had read only a few pages into Lesath, I could answer definitively that this time her approach is very different. The tragedy here is a totally unexpected, horribly sinister and tragically irresolvable one, and so very, very well written that I tensed up almost from the beginning and it only got worse. There are so many shocking elements it would be difficult to remember them all. One in particular that touched me is that McCoy is guilty, though innocently and inadvertently, of doing the one thing that has made it possible for the Madman to gain the upper hand. What this insane monster does is not what you may expect and it is horrible to contemplate. With such a new story, I don‘t want to reveal too much, but I suspect you will be absolutely frantic with every turn of the page. You can feel this creature‘s madness! His breath stinks with it.
I don‘t know how someone can invent a creature so evil and diabolical – the creativity awes me.
I‘ve read a lot of K/S and a lot of hurt/comfort, and I have tried my best to recall anything that contains anything remotely like this; anything as revolting, disgusting and totally without mercy as is the madman. The hurt and devastation left in his wake is inconsolable and this story literally shrieks for a sequel. I couldn‘t believe when it ended! [2]
I couldn't put this down and read until 1.30 am to finish it. Normally I like my stories a bit happier but this was gripping. It felt utterly right at the end that there was no "easy fix" to make everything better again, which can be a real danger in h/c type stories. Beautifully written, everything so clearly visualised, and such a convincing madman with just enough back story to make him believable. I wonder if the author is planning to write her version of what happens when Spock leaves Gol? But probably not, as the footnote says that a gen version of the story was published in the early 1990s. [3]