Yesterday, I read this story the whole way through, back to back with Maelstrom and Mage, Desire Thine Darkling. I hope you don't mind me commenting here for both *smiles*. For once, I am so glad I didn't know of these stories as you were still writing, else I wouldn't have had the wonderful experience of reading them both as novellae, in their entirety! I love how you took a little bit of the canon, teased a whole story (or two) out of a few enigmatic sentences and grew it into something wonderful and individual - yet still true to its origins. I don't really know where to even start with expressing how blown away I was by your writing - I'm such a damned inarticulate critic *chuckles*.
Maelstrom and Mage was incrediblely imaginative and vivid - Vaysh wasn't a character I was never fond of or much interested in before, but now he will always live in my imagination as you interpreted him. You have a beautiful use of language, a lovely turn of phrasing, and the ability to "paint" a scene vividly. The erotic moments were sensual and powerful. Even though I knew Vaysh's death was coming, I had tears streaming down my face! I immediately embarked on Whispering Well, and once again, I was rivetted by the storytelling, the psychological insights and physical descriptions. Ash and Vaysh's confrontation was so painfully realistic, so vivid.
What I appreciated most was that you didn't give Ash and Vaysh an easy, happy ending. That must have been so very hard, to get so close to a character(s) and yet be able to stand back and give them a true conclusion, not the unfeasibly happy one we'd ideally wish for them. Because for all I've come to love these characters dearly, I couldn't have envisaged a neat and predictable Hollywood ending for them. How you left it - a kind of peace, a faint hope, enough to make it bittersweet rather than just bitter - was to my mine absolutely perfect *smiles* Kudos, and thank you for these wonderful stories - you are a very talented, skillful writer and I'm eager to read much, much more of your work! (no pressure, like.... *laughing*) Sorry for the ramble....
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regna
(no subject)
Date: 2008-05-21 01:53 pm (UTC)Maelstrom and Mage was incrediblely imaginative and vivid - Vaysh wasn't a character I was never fond of or much interested in before, but now he will always live in my imagination as you interpreted him. You have a beautiful use of language, a lovely turn of phrasing, and the ability to "paint" a scene vividly. The erotic moments were sensual and powerful. Even though I knew Vaysh's death was coming, I had tears streaming down my face! I immediately embarked on Whispering Well, and once again, I was rivetted by the storytelling, the psychological insights and physical descriptions. Ash and Vaysh's confrontation was so painfully realistic, so vivid.
What I appreciated most was that you didn't give Ash and Vaysh an easy, happy ending. That must have been so very hard, to get so close to a character(s) and yet be able to stand back and give them a true conclusion, not the unfeasibly happy one we'd ideally wish for them. Because for all I've come to love these characters dearly, I couldn't have envisaged a neat and predictable Hollywood ending for them. How you left it - a kind of peace, a faint hope, enough to make it bittersweet rather than just bitter - was to my mine absolutely perfect *smiles* Kudos, and thank you for these wonderful stories - you are a very talented, skillful writer and I'm eager to read much, much more of your work! (no pressure, like.... *laughing*) Sorry for the ramble....