Grasping At Straws in a Hurricane
Stargate Gen anthology.
119pgs, comb bound with clear plastic cover protectors.
Publisher: Kaitalugi Press
Review: The b&w cover and interior b&w graphics for each story,
done by Jiwon Rachel
Lee, are extremely nice. I particularly liked the cover. The
photos chosen
for each story fit the plots very well. Great job!
One thing I really liked about this zine is that it has an author
bio page.
It's nice to have an idea of who the writers and the artist are,
since some
of the names are familiar from the web.
The stories in this zine are all on the Internet and were all
nominated for
awards in a Sam and Daniel competition, so they are some of the
best. The
zine itself is attractive, the margins small, the print small but
readable,
and set up in a pleasing two-column layout. Personally, I prefer
the
two-column layout because it's easier for my old eyes to read.
Again, I
really like the photo graphic at the start of each story.
'Campfire Questions, Three-In-The Morning Thoughts' by Perri
Smith, reads
like an episode to me. I could picture the two of them sitting
outside,
firelight flickering on their faces, smell the wood smoke and
coffee. Wow. I
loved the language and style in which this was written. An
excellent story.
'Mended' by Cagey, is an exciting, compelling breathtaking roller
coaster
with a happy ending. The writing is mature and crisp. The pace is
fast.
Altogether a wonderful story.
'Spin the Stargate' by Buttercup, has a really fun, cool plotline.
This story
is hilarious! This is one of the funniest stories I've read in a
long time.
Very well done! Loved the meat loaf line. This had me chuckling
for hours
after. My family thought I was nuts.
'Lateral' by Anwen is a disconcerting glimpse into Sam's mind and
nightmares.
It's gripping, intriguing and exciting with a cool twist at the
end.
'The Ocean' by Rach L, is wonderful and sad. Of course, I like
everything
Rach L writes. She writes like a pro. I loved the line, "If
she had that Girl
Scout's 'Gotta save the puppy' look on her face, I would've
yelled, barked,
or something." Perfect description. An excellent story to
read on a rainy day.
'Statistical Outliers' by Christina Kamnikar, reads like an
excerpt from
Sam's diaries revealing her feelings for Jack and Daniel and her
opinions
about a lot. It's well written and the type of story you can't
stop reading
once you start. Very realistic.
'Connections' by Jeanine Matthews, has a really cool original
world and
original characters. The pace is fast and captivating. The story
is kind of
mysterious and fun.
'Earshot' by Rikki, is really funny. I love it when the team
plays jokes on
each other and Daniel got Jack good this time. Wonderfully quirky
story.
'Flashback' by Ellen Caldera, is one of the most convoluted,
intriguing and
original SG1 stories I've ever read. It's captivating, and
astounding with so
many twists and turns it's like being in a funhouse at the fair.
I could tell
the author put a lot of hard work and time into this novella. I
can't say
enough about this story
shoot, where's my thesaurus? And
the end? Oh, my,
what a twist! Cool. Cool. Cool!
Is this zine worth the cash even though all of the stories are
online? Yes,
definitely! The stories are excellent, and the type I know I'll
read again
and again. Wonderful, well designed zine.
Reviewer: Anon.