Donna Gentry
Author at Ysone's Fan Fiction http://www.ysone.com/.
aka Ysone
Heartspeak/Soulspeak (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 13th June 2000
Tags: Novella
(132K)
This was very good. The perils of misunderstanding, the
ambiguity of silence. It even got a bit of tear-pricking in my eyes.
Too many angsty stories feel a need to wimpify Blair, but this didn't,
and it didn't need to. There's more angst in silent stubborn pain
than in a bucketful of tears. And, hey, it got me singing a Beatle's
song on the way home from the bus!
This story won the 2000 Cascade Times Awards in the Angst category.
Mark of the Beast (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 23rd June 2000 (7)
Tags: Novella
(227K)
I'm not sure I buy this premise. It's as if the author bundled
up all of Jim's worst traits in Wester, and eliminated them from Jim.
I know that all of Jim's better traits that we saw here are truly Jim,
but, well, this isn't the Jim (nor the Simon, for that matter) that I
saw in Switchman.
This one also puts more emphasis on the Sentinel/Guide bond (of the
"instant instinct" sort) -- which I personally don't find that
plausible either.
I didn't really enjoy watching Blair suffering all that abuse, either.
One reason I stuck with it was because I'd peeked at the last page
and reassured myself that it did actually end happily - something I
don't normally do at all!
This story won the 2000 Cascade Times Awards in the "AU story" category.
My Soul To Keep (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 24th March 2002 (5)
Tags: Novel
(363K)
This was a lovely long read, an alternative universe in which,
a century hence, after a devastating war, Sentinels are known and not
that rare, but there are no Guides, at all. And then they find one.
The premise was interesting and there were some good ideas played out,
with some fanony concepts (Sentinel-Guide bond, for example, but that's
enjoyable if not canonical, besides, this is AU). I enjoyed watching
this Jim and Blair getting to know each other (and the treatment of
Simon, however minor, was good too). There was a point at which I could
figure out what was likely to happen, but I watched it play out anyway.
One thing that did bug me, though, was the culture. It was too similar
to modern-day USA. Here they were, a century later, after a devastating
war has wiped out civilization, and they still have basketball and
cheeseburgers, not to mention that the language hadn't changed that much
either. Yes, there were some differences, but not all that many, though
the opening was captivating with its hints of huge changes, but all
the exciting things I was wondering about didn't materialize. That was
rather disappointing for me.
Promissory (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 22nd July 2000 (1)
Tags: Novella
(172K)
(sniff) This story grew on me. When it started off, I
thought it would be average, then it hooked me in, bit by bit.
The title is very apt, because it's all about promises, obligations,
and hard choices. It could so easily have been smothered in
soppiness, but it wasn't.
This story was nominated in the 2000 Cascade Times Awards in the
"drama" category.
Addendum: nominated for favourite long story in the 2001
Cascade Times Awards.
Samaritan (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 23rd August 2000 (1)
Ah, I liked this very much. A first-season story set before
The Debt. The perceptions we have of other people are filtered
through our assumptions; it was sort of angsty to see how they were
misunderstanding each other, and both wanting more, but not knowing
what the other was thinking. It was refreshing to have no mystical
Sentinel/Guide things pushing Jim's actions, just simple, ordinary
human concern.
Twice Again (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 15th January 2003 (1)
Tags: Novel
(300K)
It's interesting to note that the author nearly abandoned this
story because others had already been written along a similar theme.
It's true that this kind of Sentinel AU -- where Sentinels and Guides
are a well-known phenomenon, there is a permanent Sentinel-Guide bond,
and Guides are often empaths -- is so popular as to almost form a
sub-genre of its own (and maybe we can blame Susan Foster for that,
since many writers claim her GDP universe as inspiration to a lesser or
greater degree). However, everyone has their own take, and I'm glad
Donna decided to go for it after all.
One thing I've noticed with my own reactions to such stories, is that
while I don't think a Sentinel-Guide bond is canonical, and find it
irritating when it's taken as a given in stories which are set in the
canonical or a near-canonical universe, when I read stories which are
clearly set out in a parallel universe where the Sentinel-Guide bond can
be taken as one of the differences, it doesn't bother me at all, and I
quite enjoy it (being a sucker for psi stuff as I am).
So, all that being said, what did I think of this story? I liked it.
First of all, a good Jim and Blair, both with traumas in their pasts,
brought together by necessity, subject to misunderstandings and
pre-emptive self-defence. I liked this variation on the permanent
Sentinel-Guide bond, which was more subtle and not so cut-and-dried as
in other variations. Likewise I liked the description of Blair as being
"a sensitive" which left things open for both more and less than an
"empath" would have been.
Also big kudos for the characterisation of Megan, who came forward as a
great supporting character, befriending Blair while still spitting
sparks with Jim. (One little quibble, though: I don't see why there
would naturally be more Sentinels in the USA than in Australia, and I
sort of resent this maligning of my country...) I'll add a plus for
the Deli owner, he was so nice, as well as different.
There were questions left open and things left unexplained, but that
just leaves room for another story, don't it?
Night Eagle
(1) Night Eagle (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 22nd March 2000
What if Blair and Jim had been born in the days of the Wild
West? This one is a parallel universe story that works.
Jim is a rancher, Blair is a half-breed, brought up as a shaman, but
also remembering the days when he lived in the white man's world.
This was good. This Blair is both more and less sure of himself, more
spiritually focused, but with more reason to expect rejection from
Jim's world. Jim is Jim - skeptical, tough, and fair. I like the way
that they both had trouble accepting the Guardian-Guide thing.
I would like to see more of this universe.
Addendum: this series was nominated in the "favourite alternate universe
series" in the 2001 Cascade Times Awards.
(2) Night Eagle: Homecoming (Sentinel)
Reviewed by Kathryn A on 23rd April 2001
Tags: Novel
(347K)
Ah, what a long, juicy story! This is the sequel to the AU
(parallel universe) story "Night Eagle" which set Jim and Blair in the
time and place of the Wild West. Read that one first. Someone
suggested that one should watch a Western before reading this, and I
agree, it's a good idea, gets you into the mood. And then settle down
for a nice long read. I stayed up until 2am reading this, I just
couldn't stop. Yes, there's a touch of fanon (the heartbeat thing).
And there are some things that I could see coming a mile off. But there
were other parts that were worth following through, like the thing with
Rafe (yes, other of our supporting cast are there -- Simon, Daryl, Rafe,
Henri... and Steven gets a mention). The youthful curiosity of Daryl
was fun. And the thing with Blair and the books (wistful sigh). So
many times in this story, people keep on stumbling over their
assumptions. Blair, Jim, Simon, Rafe... It was cool how Jim here kept
on doing what he thinks is right, and then kept on finding that things
aren't that simple.
Addendum: Winner of the 2001 Burton for favourite alternate universe story.
(Cascade Times Awards)