The 25th Year

Zine
Title:	The 25th Year
Publisher:	Pon Farr Press
Editor(s):	Alexis Fegan Black
Date(s):	1991
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:	online flyers
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front cover, Kay Wells, original perfect bound edition

perfect bound back cover, Deeb

back cover, this one from a spiral-bound copy (pirated?)

The 25th Year is a slash 275-page Star Trek: TOS anthology. The art is by Shellie Whild, Sarah B. Leonard, Virginia Lee Smith, Jackie Zoost, Cooper, Dragon, Marilyn Cole, Kay Wells, KOZ, and Siobhan.

Summary

From the publisher: "It is the night of a special anniversary - the 25th anniversary of James Kirk and Mr. Spock. After a quiet dinner party with close friends, the couple begins to reminisce about their lives together..."

Piracy Warning

The editor includes a lengthy notice about zine piracy. While directly related, it predates the Open Letter to Fandom Regarding Zine Pirating by Alexis Fegan Black by two years.

No part of this zine may be reproduced, wholly or in part, without the prior written permission of Pon Farr Press and the individual/writer/artist/poet. If you want fandom to continue for another twenty-five years (or even another five!), PLEASE do not purchase this or any other zine from pirates (little thieves who xerox other folks' works, for the uninitiated). Zine pirates, you WILL be found out, so please save everybody a lot of trouble and get a job. We've all worked too hard on this project to see it cheaply (or expensively, for that matter) xeroxed. The copyright (strange as it sounds) is in no way intended to infringe upon or conflict with Paramount Pictures... The Publishers (Pon Farr Press and Alexis Fegan Black) reserve the right to confiscate any and all illegal (i.e. 'xeroxed') copies of this fanzine found at conventions and elsewhere.

THE PUBLISHERS (Pon Farr Press and Alexis Fegan Black) reserve the right to confiscate any and all illegal (i.e., "xeroxed") copies of this fanzine found at conventions or elsewhere. The only way to insure that your copy is an original is to purchase it directly from Pon Farr Press or their authorized representatives, which arc only as follows: Lonestar Trek (Laurie Haynes); Koz; Laura Campbell. Thanks for your cooperation - it is the backbone of fandom, especially where zine piracy is concerned.

The Editorial

Thanks for purchasing THE 25th YEAR. As many of you know, especially you contributors, this project has been almost a year in the works, and I hope it reflects the love, time and energy which went into its creation. I cannot begin to give proper thanks to all my contributors for making this vision a reality, and it is my hope that those of you who are reading the zine will agree that their work is phenomenal.

I would like to say a very special word of thanks to Natasha Solten and Dovya Blacque. To Natasha for not only helping me edit this doorstop zine, but also for her two lovely stories, and for bailing me out of a last-minute crisis by doing some additional writing on the project. Natasha also devoted many hours to proofreading, editorial assistance, and was just plain fun to work with - which always makes a project go more easily. Also, since she lives with me (or I with her?), I'd like to thank her for putting up with my screaming, yelling, laughing, snorting, crying, bitching and moaning while this project was in the works. To Dovya, thanks not only for an excellent love story and a beautiful Gol-reunion story, but also for proofreading, continuity assistance, and for being there when I needed a sympathetic ear from a fellow editor. To both of you - thanks for making me believe in THE 25th YEAR during those pre-menstrual days when all I wanted to do was bum the master copy.

Since it would take too much time to say an individual word of thanks to each and every contributor, let me simply state that - especially in this case - each and every person who worked on this zine was fabulous. Deadlines were met, re-writes were cheerfully accomplished, and writers and artists alike busted their humps to make this thing happen. Thanks to all of you -sincerely and honestly. I hope you'll all enjoy finally seeing the fruits of your labor in print, in context with the rest of the zine, and that you'll enjoy the finished project as much as I've enjoyed working with each one of you.

One thing that a couple of people mentioned to me during the working phase of THE 25th YEAR was that it made them "feel like old times in fandom". I guess I hadn't thought about it too much, but one thing this zine has done for me is to bring back the feelings about K/S I had in the beginning - when I was a "zine virgin", so to speak. It had been literally ages since any story had made me cry - yet Patricia Laurie Stephens' story, HOVERING, certainly did. It had been years since a K/S story had evoked that "wonder of it all" feeling I got when I first saw Star Trek back in 1966 -- yet SIDE TRIP (Venisa I. Duvetyn), A ROOM WITHOUT WINDOWS (Addison Reed), and THE STARS OF HOME (Jean Hinson) all brought back this feeling with crystal clarity. Suffice it to say that each and every story in THE 25th YEAR moved me in some way - which brings me to a rather mystical point.

At the risk of seeming supercilious, there is a "magic" in this zine for which I cannot take credit. In the vast majority of the stories, things just sort of "fell together" - as if the writers were of a "like mind". For example, things I had written In my story, FIRE-DARE seemed to "appear" in other writers' stories before these writers had even read FIRE-DARE. Minor details appearing In HOVERING were fore-shadowed in stories which I received well before I received Patricia's story. The details in BLUE SYMMETRY (Sue Denim) were seemingly "picked up" and used by writers who hadn't yet seen BLUE SYMMETRY... and so on.

Additionally, on more than one occasion, just when I was about to panic, something really "weird" would happen -"something wonderful", as Dave Bowman told Dr. Floyd in 2010. For example, stories were assigned early on in the project, and by the end of the first month, every story I had envisioned had been taken -as well as a few more which sprang up on their own thanks to the creativity of fertile minds out there. Then, just when things seemed to be going perfect, two of the writers were forced to drop out of the zine due to circumstances beyond control. And not once, but twice, within 24 hours of the original writer's drop-out, I received a story in the mail which was not only "out of-the blue", but which the writer said she'd felt compelled to write (and usually apologizing for sending it, since, according to the writer, "I know you've already got somebody else working on this story angle, but here it is anyway, just in case...") And, of course, it was also the story which the dropped-out writer had been trying/intending to write all along - dropped into my hands as if from a little bird out there somewhere. Weird! And beautiful, too. Magic, I guess. It certainly makes me think this thing was "meant to be" despite ail the turmoil In its early stages. (And it comes damn close to making me believe in guardian angels...) (Which all boils down to: Anna Parrish and Patricia Laurie Stephens - are you psychic, or what? Whatever - a special thanks to both of you!)

Of course, since we're all writing about the same topic - K/S - it stands to reason that some amount of this would be normal. But about three fourths of the way through the project, I started to realize that it was at least partially attributable to "magic" - that same kind of magic we used to see in such zines as Companion, Thrust, and the old "K/S classics". I don't know how it works - I'm just glad it did. And I truly hope it will work for you as the reader, too. I hope you will find (or rediscover, if you've been out of fandom for awhile) some of that K/S "magic" that has become just a little more elusive over the years.

As for the zine itself, I would have to say it is a "collaborative K/S novel". And for that reason, it is strongly recommended that you read it from beginning to end rather than skipping around the way we tend to do with anthologies. In most cases, the stories themselves stand on their own as separate and complete events - yet the richness of twenty-five years of togetherness is more fully available when read from cover to cover.

The sections of the zine entitled "The 25th Year - continued" are actually bridges which inter-connect stories by hopefully filling in some of the gaps. Initially, I had wanted to cover each and every episode which followed Amok Time, but obviously this would have delved into the realms of lunacy. It would have made the project at least 2,000 pages long, and it couldn't have been finished even with full-time efforts until the year 2525, so... I hope the bridges will fill in the months and years between the critical moments in the K/S relationship.

As always, I am most interested In receiving letters of comment - whether positive or otherwise. And in the true spirit of fandom, I hope many of you will write in with your comments so that I may share them with the folks who made this zine possible-the writers, artists and poets. Already, the people who have read advance copies of THE 25th YEAR have suggested that I attempt a second volume - an "alternate universe" kind of thing as it were (which you'll understand when you finish the zine) - and if there is enough interest in attempting it, I might be convinced to tackle it. So... please realize that your comments are important - not only to give that much-needed support to writers and artists, but also to inspire them toward future projects.

Finally, I would just like to say that I hope everyone who reads this zine will get something positive out of it. It's a zine with a lot of ups and downs, a lot of triumphs and, yes, a lot of failures, too. It's about life and, in the end, it's about "us" just as much as it's about Kirk and Spock. We live and we learn. And hopefully we grow.

Enjoy.

Contents

• Editorial (3)
• For this Journey by Aleis Fagan Black (7)
• The 25th Year: Days of Future Passed by Alexis Fegan Black ("For me?" Kirk asked, all innocence, when Spock sat down and handed him a small box. But as he carefully cracked the lid and peeked inside, his brows narrowed with deeper curiosity. Impulsively, he laid the lid aside and lifted out the perfectly formed, utterly flawless crystal. It fit perfectly into the palm of his hand - cool and warm at the same time. Power. Light. Infinity itself. "A starship's heart," he murmured, his eyes filling.") (7)
• And What Do You See? by Donna Rose Vanderlaan (10)
• The New Captain by Anna Parrish (Kirk becomes captain of the Enterprise and worries about meeting his Vulcan first officer. Prequel: 25th Anniversary. Sequel: Fire-Dare.) (11)
• Fire-Dare by Alexis Fegan Black (Amok Time) (also in Psychic Storm... and other K/S stories) ("Fuck logic!" Kirk exploded. He'd gotten through the day telling himself McCoy was wrong. He'd gotten through the afternoon telling himself lies. He couldn't get through the night on logic. "Dammit, Spock," he swore again, "logic has precious little to do with this! You've spent your life working to achieve your goals. Do you mean to tell me that logic dictates you should just crawl in bed and die now? You've saved my life more times than I can count. You've saved the ENTERPRISE more times than I care to think about! Do you honestly believe it's logical to just give up?" So much for his resolve not to let anger intrude.") (15)
• Mercy by Dovya Blacque (Kirk and Spock get used to their new bond. Prequel: Fire-Dare. Sequel: Side Trip.) (47)
• Our Times by Faris Vincent (50)
• Side Trip by Venisa Duvetyn (Kirk finds the mirror Spock to his liking. Prequel: Mercy. Sequel: Cocoon.) (53)
• Cocoon by Janna Steele (also in Psychic Storm... and other K/S stories) (Spock reflects on the inadequacies of his bond to Kirk caused by his inability to let go. Prequel: Side Trip. Sequel: A Room Without Windows.) (57)
• A Room Without Windows by Addison Reed (Journey To Babel) ("Spock, if we can't share with each other those things that trouble us most, where does that leave us? We keep circling each other like we were in some ritual dance that's never complete. Confiding our problems and our fears - as well as the good times - is what it takes to make us whole." Kirk leaned forward, his voice dropping until it was almost a whisper. "Eventually, we're going to get tired of dancing and I don't want to see that happen." He paused, touching the Vulcan's arm. "Pon farr isn't still troubling you, is it?") (61)
• Brother to Earth by Robin Hood (86)
• When The Circus Was Over by Jane Mailander (Kirk and Spock struggle over what happened on the “Roman” planet. Prequel: A Room Without Windows. Sequel: Paradise Lost.) (87)
• Paradise Lost (Star Trek: TOS story) by Natasha Solten (Spockʼs help in getting Kirk over Miramaneeʼs death brings the bondmates closer. Prequel: When The Circus Was Over. Sequel: Web.) (91)
• Web by Charlotte Frost (Kirkʼs homecoming from Tholian space is not all he would wish it to be. Prequel: Paradise Lost. Sequel: The Darker Spirit.) (97)
• Serpent Coild by Alexis Fegan Black (100)
• The Darker Spirit by Natasha Solten (Requiem for Methuselah) ("When Raphael finally pulled away, Kirk fell to his side, his hip scraping dirt and grass. Boot steps retreated in the sand down by the stream. Then, after a brief silence, a voice called up to him from the distance. "I don't work here - and my name is not Raphael. You will never find me again. Pretend this never happened, if that makes you feel better." In shock, Kirk pulled his torn clothing over himself…") (101)
• The Need of the One by Faris Vincent (114)
• Blue Symmetry by Sue Denim (Women from Kirk and Spockʼs pasts only compound the problems that are tearing them apart. Prequel: The Darker Spirit. Sequel: Pandoraʼs Box.) (135)
• Pandora's Box by M. Fae Glasgow (Gol…) ("Stop. Think. I am Vulcan. I am logical. My bondmate gives nothing to the bond. All of it, everything that I am, disappears inside him and he give me none of himself back. Just blackness, darkness, this hungry maw sinking into all the nurturing and the love I can give him. This, then, is the answer to why he wil lnot listen when I decline to hurt him as he wishes to be hurt. This, then is the reason he still wanders whenever fancy takes him. He does those things because he has no reason not to. He is giving nothing into the bond, only this miniscule opening through which he feeds…) (141)
• Gol: The Paradox by Janna Steele (155)
• Infinity [unreadalbe word] by Robin Hood (146)
• The Mechanics of Love & War by Dovya Blacque (ST:TMP) ("He didn't plan on it. In fact, it given the opportunity to state his opinion on the possibility of such a reaction coming from him, Kirk would have laughed at the astronomical odds. But there he stood, knuckles stinging, looking down at Spock ,who was now horizontal on the deck, two long fingers tendering touching the spot on his chin where Kirk had just struck him. "That," he said too quietly, "was for leaving without even saying goodbye!") (159)
• Sand Castle by Kalen Storm (172)
• Coffee by Kalen Storm (also in Naked Times #28 and Psychic Storm... and other K/S stories) (Together again, Kirk hopes things will be better for them this time and that they both have learned from their mistakes. Prequel: The Mechanics of Love and War. Sequel: Hovering.) (173)
• Letter to the Dead by Kalen Storm (182)
• Hovering by Patricia Laurie Stephens (ST: TWOK) ("Kirk thought about dying, and although the hovering part told him he was enjoying the thought a little, he considered how everyone would then know and say how much he had loved Spock. He became sad at the thought of his own death, but it was an indulgent sadness that included imagining how sad the others would be; and although he was aware of it, this new kind of sadness overcame his sorrow for Spock. His eyes filled a little, but even the hovering part did not allow him to cry; so instead of washing away this new sorrow for himself and, with it, some of the sorrow for Spock, he nurtured them both. He planned how they would end together, and the planning was comforting…") (183)
• [unreadable word] by Jane Mailander (196)
• When Love Returns by Anna Parrish (ST: TSFS) ("We loved each other." Kirk felt at a loss. He shook his head in despair, reaching out to grasp Spock's hand. "We loved each other," he repeated." Spock looked down at the human's fingers in growing dismay. Floods of emotion welled up inside, so many and so strong they frightened him. He removed his hand from the clasp, then shot upward. "Please leave." Why did the room seem so small? There was no air…") (197)
• All the Way Home by Kay Wells (ST: TVH) ("Both grew quiet within the link as Spock began probing his own mind, laying himself entirely open. Down through his mind he searched until at last reaching the area where their bond had been anchored. In Jim's mind, he had found the half healed wound from the tearing of the bond, but in his own, he found a growing stump. Kirk's joy again threatened the Vulcan's concentration, but this time the human held it at bay, recognizing the importance of Spock's discovery.") (207)
• Not by a Long Shot by K'Ris
• The Stars of Home by Jean Hinson (ST: TFF) ("After a few moments of frantic shinnying, trying to ignore the rough bark painfully scraping his bare chest and arms, Kirk dared a downward glance. The irate grizzly was upright, both massive front paws against the tree trunk, glaring up at him with huge yellow teeth bared. She stood at least seven feet tall.") (215)
• Page from a Vulcan Notebook by Kalen Storm (222)
• The 23rd Year: The Eulogy by Patricia Laurie Stephens (Kirk gets reacquainted with his nephew after Kirkʼs mother dies. Prequel:The Stars of Home. Sequel:24th Year-Talismans In the Night.) (225)
• Twenty-Five Years Ago by K'Ris (242)
• The 24th Year: Talismans in the Night by Janna Steele (also in Psychic Storm... and other K/S stories) (Kirk tricks Komack into giving him one last mission on the Enterprise to transport a known mystic. Prequel:The Eulogy. Sequel: 25th Year-Days of Future Passed.) (243)
• The Toast by Janna Steele (254)
• The 25th Year: Days of Future Past by Alexis Fegan Black (255)
• The Night Comes Again by Alexis Fegan Black (264)

Sample Interior

• 

  Virginia Lee Smith

• 

  Jacqueline Zoost

• 

  Shellie Whild

• 

  Virginia Lee Smith

• 

  Dragon

• 

  Marilyn Cole

• 

  Kay Wells

• 

  Cooper

• 

  Siobhan

• 

  Marilyn Cole

• 

  KOZ

• 

  sample poem

• 

  KOZ

Reactions and Reviews

See reactions and reviews for Hovering.

See reactions and reviews for The 25th Year: Days of Future Passed.

See reactions and reviews for The New Captain.

See reactions and reviews for Fire-Dare.

See reactions and reviews for Mercy.

See reactions and reviews for Side Trip.

See reactions and reviews for Cocoon.

See reactions and reviews for A Room Without Windows.

See reactions and reviews for When The Circus Was Over.

See reactions and reviews for Paradise Lost.

See reactions and reviews for Web.

See reactions and reviews for The Darker Spirit.

See reactions and reviews for Blue Symmetry.

See reactions and reviews for Pandora's Box.

See reactions and reviews for Gol: The Paradox.

See reactions and reviews for The Mechanics of Love & War.

See reactions and reviews for Coffee.

See reactions and reviews for When Love Returns.

See reactions and reviews for All the Way Home.

See reactions and reviews for The Stars of Home.

See reactions and reviews for The 23rd Year: The Eulogy.

See reactions and reviews for The 24th Year: Talismans in the Night.

[All the Way Home]: I wonder why Starfleet's inquiry into Kirk's behavior in TSFS didn't include a Vulcan healer to meld with Kirk, and ascertain the truth of his relationship with Spock. Surely it couldn't be Starfleet's high regard for Kirk's privacy. I have never heard that Military organizations ever had high regard for the privacy of their officers.

[zine]: When I sat down to review 'The 25 Year' I thought it would be an easy task. After all, how could I forget something that was such a huge undertaking? I was right there with Alexis every step of the way, not only for proof reading and continuity reading but writing and rewriting my own stories. I have two stories in 'The 25th Year', 'Mercy' and 'The Mechanics of Love & War', neither of which I will review for obvious reasons.

'The 25th Year' takes place on the evening of Kirk and Spock‘s 25th anniversary of their bonding. The zine addresses those 25 years with a series of stories that capture various pivotal events in those 25 years. Interwoven with the stories is a continuing commentary from Kirk and Spock themselves on nearly every story, working as a kind of glue, the connecting tissue, for the stories. These connecting tid bits were written by Alexis Fegan Black (editor extraordinary here) and hold great insights from Kirk and Spock as they reminisce. The zine starts out with 'The New Captain' by Anna Parrish and captures Kirk‘s insecurity at not only taking command of his own starship but his hesitancy about having a Vulcan as First Officer. This is a very brief story but begins the zine with a tone that is carried throughout the rest of the zine. 'Fire-Dare' by Alexis Fegan Black is the story of how Kirk and Spock first came together. It is a pon farr story that explains the circumstances of the bond forming between captain and first officer and is written with the depth of language and philosophy that embodies much of Alexis‘ writing. My first story, 'Mercy', follows and deals with Kirk and Spock adjusting to the new aspect of their relationship. 'Side-trip' by Venisa I. Duvetyn deals with the Mirror Universe and shows Kirk a side of himself he‘d known about but never truly addressed. A continuing theme throughout the zine is the question of life and death, of immortality, and is addressed in 'Cocoon' by Janna Steele. Meeting Zefrem Cochran and the Companion really brings these topics to the fore for Kirk and makes him question not only the nature of the bond he shares with Spock but his own mortality as well. 'A Room Without Windows' by Addison Reed is one of my favorite stories in the zine. Addison addresses the subject of Spock‘s parents. The story takes place in and around the episode 'Journey to Babel' and offers some insight into Spock‘s estrangement from his father in particular. This is dealt with in a deep, delicate manner, also offering further particulars about the bond between Kirk and Spock. It is also one of the longer stories in the zine and, for me, held great satisfaction. 'When The Circus Was Over' by Jane Mailander is another look into the questions of life and death, particularly life after death. 'Paradise Lost' by Natasha Solten is also one of my favorite stories in the zine. With Natasha‘s usual light, poetic hand, we watch as Kirk must move forward after the loss of Miramanee and his unborn child. Again, the subject of life and death looms over the K/S relationship. Spock questions why he couldn‘t tell if Kirk was alive or dead, why he hadn‘t been able to feel Kirk through their bond. A lovely, sweet story that addresses subjects that are anything but lovely or sweet. In 'Web' by Charlotte Frost, the bond again comes into question when Spock can‘t feel Kirk while Kirk is trapped in that nothing-space in 'The Tholian Web'. 'The Darker Spirit' by Natasha Solten is a dark story of Kirk‘s chance encounter with a Rigellian named Raphael while on Earth, an encounter that will effect Kirk‘s life in ways he can‘t predict. The encounter also effects Kirk‘s bond with Spock for years to come. When Spock removes Kirk‘s memory of Rayna, he also tampers with Kirk‘s memory of Raphael. This is a very dark story, nothing light or happy about it but in Natasha‘s capable hands, the story is somehow beautiful. 'Blue Symmetry' by Sue Denim deals with the presence of a Vulcan woman on board as well as the aftermath of Janice Lester, both of which put a nearly impossible strain on the bond. 'Pandora‘s Box' by M. Fae Glasgow is what I call the 'Gol Story', the circumstances surrounding Spock‘s leaving for Gol. Next is my story, 'The Mechanics of Love & War' which is the 'post-Gol Story', the story of how Spock returns to the Enterprise and why. I can only say that this was one of the most difficult stories I ever had to write, not my usual choice of subject matter. I was cajoled and bullied into writing it! 'Coffee' by Kalen Storm deals with Kirk and Spock settling in to their new life together on Earth following V‘ger. 'Hovering' by Patricia Laurie Stephens is arguably the saddest story in the zine as it is the 'post-TWOK' story and follows a numb and lost Kirk through the horror of having to live without his bondmate. Beautifully written, tender and harsh at the same time, this is another favorite story. It hits the mark on every point, especially on the subject of grief. 'When Love Returns' by Anna Parrish addresses Spock coming back to himself after the fal tor pan, his 'illogical' need for this human who he is told is his friend, and his decision to return to a life he barely remembers. The bond heals in 'All The Way Home' by Kay Wells. Spock slowly remembers who he is, who Kirk is and reaches for the bond when memory returns. 'The Stars of Home' by the late, dearly missed Jean Hinson, takes us back to Yosemite after the encounter with Sybok and deals with Kirk‘s eternal ability to get himself into the most unfortunate situations. Once more, the subject of life and death rears its head. 'The 23rd Year: The Eulogy' by Patricia Laurie Stephens takes Kirk and Spock home to Iowa and to the unhappy duty of a son having to face the loss of a parent. Kirk is forced to confront death and the more he confronts it, the more he fights against it, the harder it hits back. This is a two hanky story! 'The 24th Year: Talismans In The Night' by Janna Steele once more brings in the difficult subject of life and death when Kirk finagles himself and Spock back aboard the Enterprise to retrieve a new ambassador who claims to be over 300 years old. He claims he‘s lived so long because he doesn‘t believe in death. The subject of immortality is handled adroitly, forcing Kirk especially to look death in the face. 'The 25th Year: Days of Future Passed' by Alexis Fegan Black brings the entire zine back to the beginning as we watch Kirk and Spock 'the morning after' their long night of reminiscing. We also see Spock gift Kirk with a dilithium crystal and the offer to bend space and time to revisit their own lives. I found this last element to the story a bit outside the rest of the zine and the story isn‘t as satisfying an ending to a very long zine as I would have liked to see. The whole zine might have been better served without this final discussion between Kirk and Spock. There is also some magnificent poetry throughout the zine by authors such as Donna Rose Vanderlaan, Faris Vincent, Natasha Solten, Robin Hood, Janna Steele, Kalen Storm, K‘Ris, Jane Mailander and Alexis Fegan Black. In particular I like 'For This Journey' by Natasha Solten, the poem that opens the zine. It‘s direct in Natasha‘s brief hand and yet describes the relationship between Kirk and Spock perfectly. As for art, there is a lot in the zine, most of it beautiful, some of it less so. The front and back covers are lovely. The front cover is by Kay Wells and the back is by Deeb. The front cover is a picture of a mature couple in a tender embrace, the back is of an equality mature couple celebrating their union through very tough times. Interior art is by Virginia Lee Smith, Jackie Zoost, Shellie Whild, Cooper, Dragon, Marilyn Cole, Kay Wells, KOZ, and Siobahn. Of particular note for me is the Marilyn Cole illustration for 'Hovering'; it captures Kirk‘s state of mind beautifully. And Marilyn‘s illustration for 'Blue Symmetry' is sensuous and beautiful. The zine is also filled with little doo-dads, some by myself (which I‘d forgotten about!) that fill the tiny blank spaces in and around stories. This is a huge zine. While the page count is 264, the contents would surely have filled a zine twice that long had Alexis not chosen to use 10 pitch print. It is difficult to read but very much worth the effort, especially if you like the more philosophical side of the Kirk/Spock relationship. This is not a light or easy read. There are deep depths here.

Overall, this is an excellent zine and well worth the eye strain.

It was published to coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Star Trek. (I remember getting my copy signed by Alexis Fegan Black when I bought it at the big Creation convention that was held in 1991 in Los Angeles; I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to be in the presence of a real, live K/S writer and publisher! I had just entered fandom, had just started writing myself, and I held these prolific, creative, innovative, courageous women in great awe. As well I should have.) “The Twenty-Fifth Year” is structured to read like a novel, even though it consists of many short stories written by different authors. Similar projects had been attempted in Companion 1 and 2 (1978 and 1980) and by the U.K. Group in Mirror Reflections (1983), What is Honour? (1983), and Bigot! Brother! Bondmate! (1985). The story line was created and organized by Alexis Fegan Black, and it covers the ups and downs of the twenty-five year history of Kirk and Spock’s relationship…. While there are many excellent stories in the zine, and it works as a whole very well indeed, most readers would point to “Hovering” by Patricia Laurie Stephens as a compelling, almost horrifying look at the grief felt by Kirk after Spock dies and before the fal tor pan.

I like commemorative zines. When Star Trek had its twenty-fifth anniversary, Alexis Fegan Black put together a, ah, "contributing novel." It's called The 25th Year, and she wrote the linking stories, which were, you know, like two or three pages that linked each story, and she had to— It started at this place, and this is where the relationship grew, and this is where it ended up, on their twenty-fifth anniversary, they're recalling their lives. And she conned me into writing a couple of stories for that, and that was one of the more difficult things I ever did, because it had to fit in chronologically, and into a universe that was aside from the Star Trek universe. This was a created universe. So that was a blast. That was a great project. So any time there's a chance to commemorate something, it's a good thing.