Sirocco

Fanzine at http://www.skeeter63.org/

Reviewed by Kathryn A in 2000

A Sentinel novel written by D.L. Witherspoon

Sirocco: (noun) A hot, opressive and often dusty (Southerly) wind.

This is a post "The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg" story, which does have Blair as a cop, but we don't actually see much police work here - there happens to be much more immediate and dangerous things going on. I really liked this. As is typical of D. L. Witherspoon's work, this is a Jim and Blair show, not a Blair and Jim show. As is also typical of this author, the Jim here tends to be a little too perfect, but, hey, that's cool, man. Particularly as she doesn't make Blair a wimp. The plot was well done, with an unexpected sting in the tail (I like surprises!). The characterisation was good, I liked the reconciliations that happened there. I like Carolyn, okay?

It's interesting to consider that in fanfic, the amount of support that Jim and Blair get from others outside their clique has varied enormously, all the way from resentment and hostility to encouragement and quiet support, and I suspect part of that is determined by the way the author wants the story to go. In this case, it was support, which probably influenced the choices certain of the characters made.

I would be interested in seeing a sequel.

Addendum: (21/5/2001) This story is now available on the web. See the Net-fic reviews entry /netfic/Zine/Sirocco.