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.