Kim Heggen

Author at Kim's Fiction http://www.heggen.net/owl/.

Justifiable Means (Sentinel)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 20th March 2000 (1)
Tags: Novella
(172K)

This one's chock full of well-done Blair angst. I can see why some people might not like the way Jim is portrayed here - he's more of a hard-ass than I'm used to seeing in fanfic, but I'm not sure that it's unrealistic - just the other end of the spectrum. Indeed, it's probably more realistic than a Jim who is improbably nice - and the author did say that it was fourth season after all. The mystery plot here was good (with a little twist) and there were some absolutely delicious turns of phrase.

Addendum: this story was nominated in the 2000 Cascade Times Awards in the Long Story category.

Stormy Skies (Sentinel)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 19th March 2000

I liked this. Stormy skies indeed. Sandburg does something really stupid, and Jim gets mad. The tension builds up until you are almost screaming to find out what it was that went wrong. Feel that ozone in the air.

White-Knuckle Grip (Sentinel)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 15th September 2002 (5)
Tags: Short Story
(16K)

This is a short piece of Jim-angst, refreshingly lacking fannish clichés, yet still managing to have angsty angst and comforting Blair, in a low-key way.

Faux Paws Productions

(507) Sentinel Cordon Bleu (FPP-507) (Sentinel)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 9th June 2000

Ladies and Gentlemen, Monseiurs et Madames, we now present something light for the palate, with lashings of ginger-beer, um, I mean, fun. The dish has one burnt spot - a spot of continuity error about ASL, inconsistent with "Rock and a Hard Place", but we can flick that aside. Oh, and it was good to see that Blair isn't perfect at everything. I liked the catnip.

(521) Bad Desire (FPP-526) (Sentinel)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 26th August 2000 (2)

Another case story, reasonably good.

Strong Enough

(1) Strong Enough To Be Your Friend (Sentinel)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 20th March 2000 (2)
Tags: Novella
(216K)

This one was very good! Jim angst, Blair angst, a plausible (interesting and devastating) problem, a plausible (much sought and not too easy) solution, tears, laughter, arguments, and soppy stories. My favourite bits:

- "Strong enough to be your friend." (sniff) - Blair puts his foot down - They actually consulted a doctor! - Soap suds - Lovely turns of phrase.

Addendum: nominated for favourite angst story in the 2001 Cascade Times Awards.

(2) And Time Will Wash Me Clean (Sentinel)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 20th March 2000 (3)
Tags: Novelette
(96K)

Sequel to Strong Enough To Be Your Friend. It follows on almost immediately from the end of the previous story, well, it's the next day. This one is done from Jim's point of view, and isn't as dramatic (okay, a bit of peril, but wasn't as emotionally dramatic). We just get a good sense of closure from the previous story; a coming-to-terms, a sense of peace. Good.

(3) The Space of a Single Breath (Sentinel)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 19th September 2000
Tags: Novella
(202K)

I was looking forward to reading this when it got finished. I'm not patient, so I didn't want to torment myself by reading it as a work in progress. But I've finally read it now, and I wasn't disappointed. Unlike many TS authors, Kim Heggen isn't into hurting Blair - she's into hurting Jim! Which makes for an interesting change. This is set after "Strong Enough to be Your Friend" and "And Time Will Wash Me Clean" but it only refers back to them a little, and brings back a supporting character introduced there. Like "Strong Enough to be Your Friend", this story had a combination of factors to bring a plausible unusual illness (but a different illness this time!). We had a cool use of another Sentinel ability, well, probably. (And the way Blair got to work was... interesting). I liked the dreams that Jim kept on having. There was also a chilling piece of foreshadowing. And Jim and Blair were really good in the character department. I could just see Jim dismissing the illness, and not telling Blair quite how bad it was, until he absolutely couldn't avoid it. And the way that Blair was upset wasn't over the top. And I really enjoyed the irony that, yes, the talisman Blair had been given on his trip, really did help him to choose his path. Just not in a way that he'd expected. Sometimes the way to wisdom is through suffering.

Addendum: nominated for favourite angst story in the 2001 Cascade Times Awards.