Passages (Sentinel zine)

Zine
Title:	Passages
Publisher:
Editor:
Author(s):	TM Alexander
Cover Artist(s):	KOZ
Illustrator(s):	KOZ
Date(s):	April 2002
Series?:	Yes
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	The Sentinel
Language:	English
External Links:
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Passages is a 87-page Sentinel novel by TM Alexander.

On the cover: "Third Sentinel Gen Novel, Fifth Season, Six Sense Series."

It has a slash and gen version.

Series

It is part of a trilogy:

• Gris Gris
• Retribution
• Passages

Summary

From the flyer in Retribution:

Still dealing with the trauma of his last encounter with Lee Brackett, Blair plunges himself into the wortd of Native American mysticism in his quest toward becoming a true Shaman. Jim is there every step of the way, supporting his partner so that they may both heal and move forward in their new relationship.

Acclaimed medium Joseph Carson arrives in Cascade for a series of lectures, and soon is in danger of becoming one of the dead to whom he claims to speak. When told he will be assigned a police guard, he asks specifically for one man: Jim Ellison. Jim is reluctant, remembering his experience with pyschic sensationalist Charlie Spring, until Carson convinces him of his validity. Carson also has important information for Blair that will aid him in his spiritual journey -- namely, a message from someone who once had a great influence on Blair's life, and who now can help him to realize his ultimate destiny. But Jim has to find whoever is making anonymous death threats to Carson before those secrets can be revealed.

It is a time of discovery, a time of letting go, and a time of making passages.

From Agent With Style:

This novella takes place three months after the events in Retribution. Blair is mostly healed from the physical injuries suffered at the hands of Lee Brackett -- but he's still having trouble with the mental and emotional wounds. He gets a lot of strength from his personal studies in shamanism with help from Dan Wolf's uncle, a tribal medicine man. Just before he can embark on his first true vision quest, Blair must help Jim on a special case, protecting famed psychic Joseph Carson, who has received anonymous death threats while on a lecture tour. What Blair comes to learn from Carson is a wealth of knowledge that not only speeds his recovery, but also gives him new direction on his spirtual path.

From the Editorial

You've heard of the old edict, "Everything happens for a reason." Last year, my computer crashed and I lost everything...including the original outline for this novel. I was in such shock over the loss that my brain drew a blank whenever I tried to recreate my notes. What was I going to do, if I couldn't remember my outline?

Luckily, I had a hard copy ·of an outline for another story, Retribution, which I was able to work into the series. I was able to pull together a new outline for Passages. The same basic premise, but with additions I never planned before. Passages takes place three months after the events in Retribution. Blair is pretty much completely healed from the physical injuries suffered at the hands of Lee Brackett - but he's still having trouble with the mental and emotional wounds. He gets a lot of strength from his personal studies in shamanism with help from Dan Wolf's uncle, a tribal medicine man. Just before he can embark on his first true vision quest, Blair must help Jim on a special case, protecting famed psychic Joseph Carson who has received anonymous death threats while on a lecture tour. What Blair comes to learn from Carson is a wealth of knowledge that not only speeds his recovery, but also gives him new direction on his spiritual path. I based Carson on renowned medium John Edward, whose half·hour program "Crossing Over" and various books have brought the concept of communicating with the dead to the public's attention. As someone who (to a lesser degree) has made contact with spirits, I find John to be a true gift to those who have difficulty handling bereavement. He brings closure, and a sense of hope. I don't care what anyone else says - I love the guy. He is the genuine article. Because I "cast" my original characters with familiar actors, please note that I chose James Spader for the part of Carson. It has always been my goal to honor characters appearing in past episodes of "The Sentinel," mostly for the sake of continuity. I did this in Gris Gris by focusing on Taggert and what he said about having an aunt who believed in ghosts. In Retribution, I brought back Lee Brackett. In Passages, I bring up a number of characters ... one of which is in tribute to the actor who played the role. No, I'm not going to tell you who. You'll just have to read to find out....

Novel #4 of the "Fifth Season/Sixth Sense" is already in the planning stages! This one will continue the thread, picking up (more or less) where Passages leaves off. Rest assured, every story is complete and stands on its own. I encourage my readers to write and tell me what they think - good or bad. It's how we learn, and improve. And there is always room for improvement ... in every writer. There is no "right way" to telling a story. It's all just a matter of who's willing to listen to the tale.

Sample Interior

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Reactions and Reviews

This time we get a guest-star! (For those who know Tami's writing: She's casting her characters, and as the man to whom ghosts talk she envisioned James Spader. But even if you don't know that, you'll have no problems of "seeing" Joseph Carson, her loving and reverent description is dead on.) The story centers around Blair dealing with past traumata, trying to overcome the terrible things that happened in Retribution, at the same time trying to be a true partner to Jim, who is chosen to "babysit" a medium. No surprise that after Charlie Spring he's a bit wary at the prospect of having to deal with yet another not very reliable person, to put it politely. What comes as a surprise is that Carson actually is what Charlie just pretended to be. And he's in actual danger too, because someone wants to kill him before he can reveal a killer's secrets. But this is just one aspect of this truly captivating story. Again, the "minor characters" get their place in the spotlight, little gems of scenes that flesh out the story so that I had to finish it despite jetlag and exhaustion. Finally it's spirits of the past that help Blair into a deeper understanding of his purpose, his fate and they help him deal with past hurt. Tami does what every good script writer should do (alas, they don't!): She refers back to the TV-show without being repetitive, thus giving the reader points of connection that made it impossible for me to put the zine down until I had finished it. Her next novella in this series is in the planning stages. I so hope she hurries! Warning: Actually that's a no-warning: Blair's hair has mostly grown back!