Renascence (Beauty and the Beast zine by Monteleone)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Renascence |
| Publisher: | Phoenix Press |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Victoria Monteleone |
| Cover Artist(s): | |
| Illustrator(s): | |
| Date(s): | 1990-1992 |
| Medium: | print zine |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Beauty and the Beast |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Renascence is a het series of three Beauty and the Beast novels by Victoria Monteleone.
From an ad: "(Yes, the title means "rebirth") ... Catherine & Vincent's romance, their dream continues in this new 'zine; all the major characters from 3rd season appear."
The summaries below are from the Qfer.
Issue 1
Renascence 1 was published in July 1990 and contains 136 pages.
The art is by the author. One piece is a fold-out illo between page 109 and 110.
In this SND novel, amnesiac Catherine escapes from the witness protection program run by Gabriel's successor, meets Vincent near her grave, recovers her memory. Hints of romance between Diana and Stosh/Elliot. [1]
Once Upon a Time in the City of New York..., a fairy tale was born.For three wonderful years we have lived beneath its spell. Suddenly, one dark day, the enchantment was broken and we were set adrift with only the memory of its haunting beauty to touch our hearts. It has seemed a long and bitter winter since the two lovers were cruelly parted. Unknown, to either of them, fate did not intend for their dream to end. "RENASCENCE' is the continuation of that dream.
In a new 'zine, the spirit and romance of Catherine's and Vincent's story lives Join us and them as we explore a future of unlimited possibilities. [2]
From the editorial:
For three wonderful years we have lived beneath the spell of a unique fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. Suddenly, one dark day, the enchantment was broken and we were set adrift with only the memory (and our videotapes) of its haunting beauty to warm our hearts. Dreams always seem to start with the question What If.....Catherine did not die? As we all know, with love all things are possible. So with love and faith in the dream, I ask you to join me in exploring that possibility. What follows is a continuation of the spirit and romance of Catherine's and Vincent's story. It is my wish to recreate the magic of an actual "Beauty and the Beast" episode. While written as prose, Renascence is meant to be "seen" by its readers on the "un-cancellable" medium of their mind's eye. The only ratings I care about are your letters which I hope will follow. .....
Excerpt from issue #1:
The pain in the eyes that met his took his breath away."Vincent, what is the matter...?"
"Father..." the word was a plea. "Father, it's Catherine. I feel her..." Father's expression of concern turned to one of shocked disbelief.
"What do you mean?"
"1 can FEEL her, now, this moment. She is so...sad."
"Vincent, surely you must know that is...impossible." "Impossible...!" he leapt from the chair, striding across the room and back as if he were a caged creature, going mad with frustration and grief. "What IS impossible Father?"
For the space of an unfinished heartbeat, her eyes, chased with moonshadow, met his. Their fathomless touch was too fleeting to be caught in time's infinitesimal net.
Blue?..."Yes", she sighed. "Yes, of course...", his eyes were blue. But what an impoverished description for the prism of his gaze. Brilliant sapphire depths swam in their cloudless summer skies, flawless as the crystal of a sparkling autumn day. "To forget such eyes...."
His heart hung suspended by a slender thread...Please don't go!, plunged into the abyss...Who are you? That she should not know...
Finished, that life was finished... There was no going back, there was nothing to go back to... The past was dead, gone... She let herself mourn someone she had once known, someone who was no more, someone, named Catherine.
It was a path he had taken so many times that his footsteps needed no conscious thought to guide them. He moved easily from shadow to shadow, the night and he were one... When he moved it would be to keep the promise he had made; when he moved it would be to turn away, to arise and awaken from their dream... [3]
from issue #1, references
from issue #1, fold-out art (note: the second part of the fold-out is missing in some issues)
from issue #1, sample text
from issue #1
from issue #1
from issue #1
from issue #1, a rare example of Diana Bennett and Elliott
from issue #1
Issue 2
Renascence 2 was published in 1991 and contains 170 pages.
It has the subtitle, "No Safe Place but the Heart."
It contains a poem by Sheryle Ann Renee.
Unlike the first issue, this one doesn't have any interior illustrations.
The zine's editorial speaks of King Arthur, Tom of Warwick, memory, and perseverance:
The dream lives and in honor o f that dream and all the dreamers who will not let it be forgot we have dedicated this story. Because we like King Arthur know that the children are the future, part ofthe proceeds from the sale of this 'zine will be donated to Pediatric Children with AIDS.
Also from the author:
As we promised in "RENASCENCE, " here is the "next episode of Beauty and the Beast." Its title "No Safe Place But the Heart" is a statement that we have come to believe in.
Although the storyline deals with serious issues, they are issues we hope will compel you to look deeply into your heart; we believe there you will find an affirmation of hope for the future and the dreams that are its promise. We also hope you will feel that No Safe Place..... when all is said and done, is ultimately, a confirmation of the nobility of the human heart, its limitless capacity for love and its never-ending struggle to make this a better world for us all. As Vincent says... "That is the only guarantee of safety we have ... that we will ever have."
In this troubled and searching world there is truly, No Safe Place But the Heart, let us live there together and dream of brighter tomorrows to come.
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2
This novel picks up where the first left off. With Catherine back in Vincent's arms, this work has time to delve into its characters, and it does. Subplots involving Elliot/Diana and Laina [sic] are explored along with the central issue of Catherine's adjustment to life Below. Gracefully written and absorbing. [4]
Issue 3
Renascence 3 was published in April 1992 and contains 157 pages.
It has the subtitle, "And a Candle Burning."
This issue contains no comments from the author nor interior illustrations.
cover of issue #3
from issue #3, some hand-colored cerulean orbs
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3
In this third segment, Catherine and a cast of thousands (pretty nearly everyone we know, Above and Below) are drawn into the attempt to cope with the aftermath of the Black Book. Though the investigation seems stymied, Lucifer, Gabriel's superior, sets a beautiful and apparently amoral woman, Lillith, to discredit Joe and the investigation. When Lillith is shot, she's taken Below to heal, and treated by Devin, with whom there develop hints of romance. Elliot, Diana, Joe, and Laina [sic] are prominently featured, Laina in a subplot as she waits in helpless suspension for her daughter, Cathy, to die of AIDS. Lucifer's plans are eventually thwarted. There are some anxious and some tender V/C moments, but the story ranges over all the characters about equally, following the story's complex events. It's more an action story than a romance. The writing and editing are uniformly good, and most readers will find the suspenseful and credible storytelling enthralling. [5]
References
- ^ from the Helpers' Network Quality Fanzine Review Online
- ^ from a flyer
- ^ used on a flyer
- ^ from Helpers' Network Quality Fanzine Review -- 1997, Archived version
- ^ from the Helpers' Network Quality Fanzine Review Online