Nicola Mody

Author at Breaking Orbit http://www.farsight.net.nz/fiction/.
Also has a journal at http://vilakins.dreamwidth.org/.

Anthropology (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 9th December 2008 (18)
Tags: Short Story
(41K)

Summary:Vila takes Orac and uses it to sabotage the Federation. In the meantime, Avon is looking for him. (PGP)

Sharp and bittersweet; this author always does good Vila and Avon, and this story is no exception.

Boarding Party (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 24th September 2006 (4)
Tags: Vignette
(4K)

An alternative universe where, when Avon returns to the Liberator at the start of season 3, he is confronted not by Captain Del Tarrant, but by Captain Vila Restal. I love this version of Vila, he's still himself, but with added confidence. More like the archetypal Trickster, in a way. I would sooo like to see more stories set in this universe.

The Hand of Friendship (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 29th July 2007 (1)
Tags: Novelette
(59K)

PGP; Vila's hands have been damaged, and nobody volunteers for the therapy needed... except Avon.

Lovely Avon-Vila friendship story. Avon makes amends, and it isn't an easy road.

Islands (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 17th August 2004 (14)
Tags: Short Story
(31K)

This B7 ficathon story opens with more melancholy, as Avon, Vila and Cally ponder how alone and isolated they are... and then things get very interesting. Good characterisation, especially of Avon's combination of curiosity and pain. There's also a very alien -- but that would be telling.

Let There Be Light (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 22nd December 2003 (1)
Tags: Novelette
(61K)

I was taking a quick peek at "Vila Restal's Livejournal" (http://vila-restal.livejournal.com/) when I followed the reference to this, expecting something frivolous, and what I got was something which was very much in character (she's got Vila's voice all right) and at the same time, very moving. (And not at all sappy. Then with Avon in the picture, it's impossible for anything to be sappy).

Mistaken Identities (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 3rd July 2004 (2)
Tags: Novelette
(66K)

This was delightful. An accident with a "black swirly thing" causes a total crew bodyswap for the Liberator crew. Yet all their dialogue is so spot-on that you can tell who is who even in the wrong bodies. Add the complication of ending up too close to the Earth with a power drain, and it looks bad for Our Heroes, until someone decides that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. This was fun!

Reflections (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 3rd July 2007 (2)
Tags: Vignette
(4K)

Servalan has a problem with reflections.

Incisive little piece set during "Gambit". To say much more would spoil it, I think.

Silent and Alone (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 30th August 2008 (11)
Tags: Short Story
(43K)

Summary:When Vila withdraws and refuses to speak, Avon takes him to Kaarn for help, but they find more than that.

I like this because of the healing and reconciliation for all parties; not an instant fix, which makes it more believable. Of course, this being a Blake's 7 story, there is absolutely no soppiness whatsoever, just a gradual movement from despair to hope.

Stunned by Love (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 29th July 2007 (2)
Tags: Short Story
(39K)

Kertis Chevron's new business partner was not at all what he'd expected. Beautiful and outspoken, Valanne Ward was also the perfect image of a woman he thought was dead, a woman who had once ruled a star-spanning empire and had almost won his heart--and almost killed him. But was she a schemer out for revenge, or an innocent caught up in circumstances she didn't understand?

This was written for a Mills & Boon Challenge; the amazing thing is that it works.

Through The Gate (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 15th September 2005 (3)
Tags: Short Story
(11K)

I once made a request for Avon redemption fic; this was written to partly fulfil that request, and indeed it did. I loved many things in this, which I can't say specifics about for fear of spoilers. Symbolism, and meaningful stuff, and love. If you like Avon, Vila and after-death stories, then you will like this, definitely. Oh, and cats, can't forget the cats. But it isn't soppy, it's in character.

Vila's Emails (Blake's 7)

Reviewed by Kathryn A on 18th May 2002 (2)
Tags: Novel
(841K)

This story (if story one could call this massive effort) had also been mentioned on the Lyst, and I confess I was intrigued. This chronicles Vila's emails to his mother (and various other people) and their replies, covering the entire series from start to end. In one sense, the whole idea is silly, since one couldn't realistically expect, in such a hard-bitten and grim universe as Blake's 7, that anybody could successfully get away with carrying on a correspondence with his mother and not have dire repercussions. But, if one considers this a sort of alternative universe, a bit more light and fluffy than the real one, then one can happily plunge in and be heartily entertained. Even this light and fluffy universe couldn't ignore the darkness of the fourth season; by the time we got to the description of what happened in "Blake" I almost had a tear in my eye. The characterisation of Vila was very good, offering plausible explanations of some of the inconsistencies, and showing him in a far better light than some of his compatriots might have imagined. It was also good seeing the others, especially Avon's insults and Servalan's intimations of what she'd do to Vila if she got her hands on him.