JEBBYPAL

Saturday, 23 October 2004 03:49

LMAO!! That was a scene ender worthy of Joss himself! Nice reflective chapter letting people catch their breath before launching into more new heartache. I like the repore between Mal and Book alot.

KISPEXI2

Saturday, 23 October 2004 11:17

Oh my - how to do this justice? So much pain, so much insight and then a comic ending to save me from total misery. Guildsister does it again!

I've been trying to work out why this bit was so affecting -“Mal wondered why it was so gorram hard to talk on. It was so long ago and far away” - and have come to the the conclusion it's the cunning use of plain unflowery words and a matter-of-fact style to convey huge emotional turmoil. “

History, ancient and lost. A brief glimmer of a something that flared and faded into nothingness fast as a shooting star, and left nothing behind but the burned-in memory. “ A recurrent theme throughout this entire story and it doesn't get any less poignant. Actually it gets more poignant.

“I don’t need…” Mal started to protest, then saw the look Book gave him. “Yeah, all right,” Mal finished in a sullen mutter. But Zoe don’t need me. Not any more. - Argh! Again so very much said in so few words. Beautiful.

I loved the way you explain Mal's protectiveness towards River as making up for his failure to save his daughter. And I think there was a neat bit of foreshadowing that revelation in the “sixteen years ago”. Those three words made me think immediately of River.

But the very most brilliant (going a bit incoherent with enthusiam here!) about this chapter was this bit:
“Yeah.” Mal took a shuddering breath. “An exact map. That little girl’s spooky sometimes.” He paused and reconsidered. “Or I am. Maybe River was just making random shapes and it was just me seeing it as Serenity.”
The idea that each person might be reading their own thoughts and feelings into the things River says and does is mind-blowing! That is just so smart and thought-provoking. And it adds a whole new layer to my understanding of Firefly.(And I'm going to try very hard not to steal the idea *g*)

RELFEXIVE

Saturday, 23 October 2004 12:53

Fantastic stuff.

AMDOBELL

Saturday, 23 October 2004 16:36

Absolutely adored this to little itty bitty pieces. I have loved every part of this series and this part just pulls at so many gorram strings, love the way you have Book so knowingly and gently easing the past out of Mal in a way that Mal cannot do for himself. It is all so twisted up inside him, so dark and painful and his is more than a little lost with the ache of it. Beautifully written and awesome how you tied in little flashbacks to earlier chapters as the past comes out bit by agonised bit. You are just brilliant and I cannot give enough praise for how much enjoyment this series is giving me. Can't wait for the next gorram part, but I don't ruttin' well want it to end either. Shinyness personified is what you are! Ali D :~)
Can I hug Mal now?

ANONYMOUS

Monday, 25 October 2004 16:07

Just plain shiny.

YOUNGSPIRIT

Saturday, 13 November 2004 11:11

So very very amazing.

I've sat here at my computer for the last... well, at least 2 hours, probably closer to 3... and just been spellbound by this amazing story. And I haven't even managed to go back to your "Troublesome" series yet!

Please keep up the fantastic work! I look forward to reading more.