The Mind Enslaver
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Mind Enslaver |
| Publisher: | Intertwined Press |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Nanci Folsom Casad |
| Cover Artist(s): | |
| Illustrator(s): | Pat Farrar |
| Date(s): | originally written in 1978 as drawerfic, printed as a zine in September 1993 |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Starsky and Hutch |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Mind Enslaver is a 148-page gen Starsky & Hutch novel by Nanci Folsom Casad.
The art consists of six full-page illos by Pat Farrar, plus additional small illos. Leah S. contributed poetry.
It appears to contain some song lyrics: "That's What Friends Are For" by Sager and Bacharach.
The author says the story takes place between the episodes "Deckwatch" and "Discomania."
Summaries
From Media Monitor:
Starsky and Hutch are involved in an accident with the Torino--and Starsky mysteriously disappears. A series of strange events occur, finally forcing even Hutch to believe Starsky is dead. But is he? A story of amnesia and the magic of friendship.
From Starsky & Hutch Adzine & Newsletter #15:
Starsky mysteriously disappears & even Hutch thinks he's dead. Novel involving amnesia & the magic of friendship. Poetry by [Leah S] and art by Pat Farrar. No slash.
Author's Notes
The author's notes (ALL IN CAPS) in the zine :
This zine is dedicated to my special friend Lynn Hill. She did something for me that no one else ever did -- she gave me back Starsky and Hutch!
Back in '76, one night when "Petrocelli" (who?) wasn't on, I switched over to ABC to watch this cop show. It was...OK. Ever so often, I'd watch this cop show, and then one night, I saw "A Coffin for Starsky" -- need I say more? I was hooked! And I never got over it! In '78, I wrote a short story called "The Mind Enslaver," which grew until it became an unpublished novel. The next year, I survived both a divorce and the cancellation of the best show on TV. As the years went by, I ambled through life (with my black cat Starsky...), and I kept hoping that someday, somehow, S&H would return. When I became "totally involved" with B&B, I bought my first VCR. And I kept thinking how wonderful it would be if only I could find someone with S&H on tape. I finally got the pilot and couldn't believe my luck!
Then I got hooked on QL and traded some articles with a QL fan named Lynn Hill. We kept writing letters. I eventually mentioned wanting S&H episodes and she offered to copy "a few" episodes for me. I was so thrilled to get my five favorites, but then I know I wouldn't be happy until I had ALL of the episodes. And Lynn sent them to me! I finally had my Starsky & Hutch back! This time, no one could take them away from me!! So, I dusted off my S&H novel -- and here it its! Enjoy -- and please write and let me know what you think of "The Mind Enslaver." Thanks!
Interior Sample
Reactions and Reviews
1995
Oh, I thought I'd mention that I heard about a new S&H fanzine novel that just came out. It's called THE MIND ENSLAVER. Now aside from the fact that the title scares the hell out of me (sounds to much like SPOCK ENSLAVED, only worse!), the author seems to be extremely homophobic [1]. (She has evidently proudly proclaimed that when she received a copy of a Suzi Lovett picture called something like "The Hero's Heart" -- Hutch has his arm around Starsky and both are fully clothed -- she destroyed it immediately, just like any other piece of "filth" people try to send her.)
In all fairness, I haven't personally read it, but from what I've heard of it so far, I'm not exactly running for my checkbook. The simple fact that a friend of mine who is an extreme S&H fan has only managed to make it to page 12 in the last month, isn't exactly encouraging either. If anyone wants ordering info on it, though, I could probably get a hold of the price and address. [2]
1996
Starsky suffers again in this milder hurt/comfort novel. After he and Hutch are injured in a car accident, an amnesiac Starsky is kidnaped by a group of thugs who drug him with an experimental drug that turns him into a mindless slave, and use him and his badge to commit robberies. A frantic Hutch searches for his partner for months, while Starsky ends up in a mental institution as a John Doe patient apparently suffering from severe brain damage. The novel was an easy and enjoyable read and some scenes between the worried Hutch and Dobey were very touching as was the reunion between our two heroes. [3]
A gripping novella that begins with a car accident that leaves Hutch unconscious and Starsky wandering around with amnesia. Unfortunately, he ends up falling in with a gang of bad guys who decide to test an experimental 'mind-enslaving' drug on him that puts him under their control. Once Hutch recovers, it doesn't take him long to find out what happened, but actually finding Starsky proves to be much tricker, particularly after the brainwashed Starsky injures his partner and then convinced he's killed Hutch, has a mental collapse. If this sounds heavy, it is, and the last 20 pages of wrap-up and healing don't quite make up for it. But the writing is pretty good, and there are some many interesting explanations provided for the changes between the 3rd and 4th seasons. [4]
What episodes or zine stories would I use to introduce new fans to S&H?
[...]
Selecting zine stories is far more difficult, though for a slash fan Murder on San Carmelitas comes to mind immediately, as well as Shadowplay, Distant Shores and many of Martha Bonds' other works. For a non-slash fan I would have great difficulty since slash is where my own preferences lie. Nancy Casad's The Mind Enslaver novel most likely would rank near the top on my list due to her excellent use of h/c and accurate portrayal of the characters. [5]
References
- ^ See GARBAGE LIKE THAT HAS NO PLACE IN FANDOM.
- ^ comment by Michelle Christian at Virgule-L, quoted with permission (May 5, 1995)
- ^ from Black Bean Soup v.2 n.26 (July 1996)
- ^ from Black Bean Soup v.2 n.27 (July 1996)
- ^ from Frienz #26 (1994)