Cindy Combs
Author at Wolfpup's Den http://www.skeeter63.org/wolfpupsden/.
Cindy's MacGyver series
(1) The Maze (Sentinel/MacGyver)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 16th June 2000 (3)
The problem I found with this crossover, is that we weren't
really introduced to MacGyver. Not having seen that series (or
perhaps five minutes of it, I have vague recollection of a makeshift
trough squirting a rampaging leopard in the face with water - maybe I
stopped watching it after that) I was really at sea with all the
MacGyver stuff. So I couldn't really get into the story. I'm
normally quite game to read crossovers with shows I haven't seen (so
long as I've seen one of the shows involved) because I figure I'll get
the same introduction to the "other" characters as Our Heroes
(whichever heroes they happen to be) will on meeting them for the first
time, get to see what they make of the stranger(s). But I didn't feel
that here, I don't really have a handle on Mac. MacGyver fans will
probably get a lot more out of it.
Addendum: this series was winner of favourite series in the 2001
Cascade Times Awards.
Roachia
(1) Before Dawn (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 16th June 2000 (4)
Tags: Novella
(220K)
The first story of an alternative universe where Jim, Blair,
and a heck of a lot of other people, are nth-generation colonists on
the planet Roachia. I must admit, I found it hard to keep track of
all the characters, when all we had to go by was names, with hardly
any descriptions. About the only ones I kept straight were Jim,
Blair, Simon, Rafe, Henri, Joel, and Jack.
As an AU TS story it was enjoyable. As a straight SF story, there were
annoyingly niggly holes. Why did they call the planet Roachia when it
sounds like it was named after the cockroach-like Roachians? How could
Jack so casually have cigars in wartime? If the Roaches wanted to
exterminate humans, why bother with work camps? Not to mention the, um,
secret weapon that they used in this story.
I also hit a bit of a culture-gap: what does "having a cow" mean?
And I found it rather disconcerting that folks were protesting about
a "teenager" of 18 years of age being asked to go undercover, when
18 years old is the age of majority in my country, and therefore,
from my point of view, the fellow was an adult.
But, on the up-side. it was nice to see a big, protective Jim (and a
small protective Blair). I liked the oral history thing -
and that even in a world where Sentinels are known and accepted,
and they think they know all about them, extraordinary people can
still break the mold and write outside the lines.
This story was nominated in the 2000 Cascade Times Awards in the "best
AU story" category, and this series was nominated in the "best AU
series" category. This was also nominated in the "favourite alternate
universe series" category in the 2001 Cascade Times Awards.