Blended Spirits 1

The Sentinel - Gen, Anthology, 109 pages, spiral-bound. Color cover (pastels drawing), with b&w interior art.

Publisher: AllGen Press

Review: What I like best about this zine is there's a little of everything in it. I think everyone will find something that appeals, and all the stories are clearly edited and well-crafted. A definite pleasure to read. 

"A Kind of Madness," by Chrys, is a flashback story mixing a past mission of Jim's with the present. I'm not a fan of flashbacks, but I liked the resolution, not your typical explosion-talking out-happy ending kind but something realistic while still gentle.

"Brass Ring," by Virginia Foster, is a filling-in-the-gaps story for TSbyBS. It has some of the scenes from the episode along with what came before and after. I like the author's take mostly, and found some new ideas in it, even if it stretched my belief a little bit when it got emotional. :>

"The One Left Behind" by JET, looks at survivor guilt. It's also a little more...mushy than I care for, and yet JET makes it easy and soothing to play along with. I loved the climax of the story, just felt it ended way to quickly after.

"At Home," my offering, is a little Blair-gets-sick-and-comforted piece.

"Passion Be Not a Thing of the Past," by Jody Scherr, is a poem in the abstract vein.

"Innocence Lost," by Lyn, does this kind of story right, letting you get to know a character along with Blair so that when the character's killed, you feel for Sandburg. It's a sad story and could have used more comfort, but had a good message that was well-developed.

"Then Come The Wild Weather," by Gemini, is almost two stories in one: I enjoyed the one of B&J having fun camping together, but mixed throughout is
a very different plot of something bothering Jim, something which isn't explained very well even at the end. It felt like a story that had no real
climax, but it was good up to then, with nicely done characters. 

The art is also a mix, from some very neat illos (particularly the last one in the zine) to a picture that makes Blair look rather frightening. But it's always nice to see a zine that took the time to get illos, not even just stills. That reflects the effort Beth B seems to have put into the zine, from the nice layout to a lovely cover.

Reviewed by: Anna Kelly