When Angels Fall

Zine
Title:	When Angels Fall
Publisher:	Kaleidoscope
Editor:
Author(s):	Cynthia Hatch
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	June 1992
Medium:	print zine
Size:
Genre:	het
Fandom:	Beauty and the Beast (TV)
Language:	English
External Links:	Online here.
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When Angels Fall is a 253-page het Beauty and the Beast (TV) novel by Cynthia Hatch.

The art is by Barb Gipson, Sue K, and Mary Ellen Nicosia.

The Author Drew a Hard Line Between Two Zines

Hatch was very direct as she described "When Angels Fall" in a flyer in that this novel was nothing like her popular zine series, Kaleidoscope.

From a Flyer

One spring night Vincent descended deep into the earth, into the heart of darkness, and the course of "Beauty and the Beast" changed forever.

In the months that followed fans speculated about those fateful, off-screen moments and where they would lead, particularly with the news that Catherine would seem "irretrievably lost." What scenario would preserve Vincent's character integrity? After all, he'd said. "If you die, so do I." Would we see a new Vincent who no longer embodied that romantic ideal or one too consumed with grief to function?

The shows writers offered baby Jacob as their solution to the dilemma, and fanzine authors provided a wealth of imaginative alternatives. But as far as I know, the answer that sprang to my mind in that long ago summer has never been explored. "When Angels Fall" rose from that basic premise.

Unlike most alternate story lines in which writers have used the realities of Catherine's world to weave logical and satisfying plots, "When Angels Fall" takes its cue from the parameters of Vincent's world - its mysteries and the dynamics between its characters. It is a story of loss and loyalty, of intentions - good and evil - gone awry, of doubts and deceptions and delusion and of the truth beyond knowledge.

As a reader, I prefer to discover a story for myself, so I try to retain that option for others. My flyers seldom reveal much about the plot, and this one is no exception. Nor is it my place to evaluate its quality - that's a reader's prerogative, not an author's. With so many zines to choose from and such specific preferences among fans, however, it's important not to mislead potential readers. Please be aware that this is not Kaleidoscope, which took Catherine and Vincent out of the second season before the crisis, allowing the kind of resolution I most wanted for them.

"When Angels Fall" begins at a darker, denser point in the series (the trilogy), and its style reflects that it is based on the conditions that existed in the summer of 1989 - Vincent's descent into madness, the scream in the cave, the news that Catherine would be lost. Observing those guidelines results in a story very different in mood and approach from Kaleidoscope.

If your taste runs exclusively to light-hearted romps, romantic interludes or third-season themes, this zine is not for you. If you like taking a closer look at the characters, if the shadows of the trilogy held for you a certain fascination, if you're willing to suspend disbelief and embark on a new adventure, it just might be.

Originally, I considered printing this novel under a different name - to make sure that no one would mistake it for another in the Kaleidoscope series, but given my reluctance to divulge the plot, that pseudonym may be the only clue to a central viewpoint that could be very important to some readers.

As always, the best indication of whether you will enjoy a zine is the opinion of a friend with similar taste. Find someone who's taken the leap of faith required to read When Angels Fall. If she considered it a waste of time, you've saved yourself some money; if she found it entertaining, maybe you will, too. Those 'leapers" will be fans willing to accept the boundaries as they were given to us at the end of the trilogy and who remember with love and hope what can happen when you "color outside the lines."

Sample Interior

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  sample text

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  Mary Ellen Nicosia

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  Sue K

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  Barbara Gipson

Reactions and Reviews

This complex alternate 3rd season novel packs a considerable charge of emotion. Because to give more than a brief overview would diminish the impact, the story, in brief, is this: in a long prologue, V's feelings during the time he approaches the Trilogy cave are recounted in insightful grim detail. Following him, C plunges into the abyss-apparently to her death. Father conceals that death from V, claiming C finally acknowledged the harm her relationship with V has done and must do them both, and has departed for Europe. This fabrication, given by Peter to C's friends and associates Above, raises their suspicions that C's disappearance is not as Peter claims and sets off a long and complex subplot involving a search for C by Joe, Elliot, and Manning. Meanwhile, as V accepts C's supposed decision and tries to live with it, C has providentially fallen into a net and is held prisoner Below by sinister characters opposed to Father and his community. One of these intends to loose C, drugged, into V's presence while V is agitated, believing this will cause Vincent to kill her in the throes of passion. To put it mildly, this is not what happens. The tables are turned on this plotter by someone previously wronged, and everything comes out all right in the end. During 95% of the novel, V/C are apart, so the element of romance is small. The tone, overall, is rather melancholy and occasionally grim. No parallels, here, to 3rd season. As with all Davis' work, this novel is eminently worth reading and well above average, though readers of her Kaleidoscope series should be warned that this is much darker than her previous work. (now offline)

Diane Davis'/C. Hatch's 'When Angels Fall' is sort of a SND, but it builds an alternate scenario in place of the 3S events and resolves elements from the trilogy etc., without letting them exist as shown on television.