Uber, Alt, In Progress
Reviewed by Bongo Bear  August 9, 1999

Working Lunch Part 5,  Malevich's latest alternative offering, has been bestowed the Amazon Ice Award.  By the time I finished the story, there was nothing left but clouds of steam.   Xena is an expensive call girl and Gabrielle, an uptight professional of a different sort, is her client. Together they create some of the hottest scenes in fanfiction.  Taken as individual vignettes, the Working Lunch stories are light on plot.  But a reader starting from Part 1, slowly begins to see their relationship growing from detached sexual encounters to something looking an awful lot like love. 

http://bearblue.simplenet.com/STO/wildfic/workinglunch5.htm

Alt, Uber, Unfinished
Reviewed by laler 01.13.00

It may, or may not be, a coincidence when Logan (an award-winning investigative reporter) rescues Frith Buchanan (a computer consultant and ex-Greenpeace worker) from an attack by a security guard outside of the Tall Trees hydroponics complex.  Once Frith reveals that she has stumbled across information that has raised her suspicions about a possible government cover-up that involves the previously quiet complex, she asks for Logan's help in seeking out the truth.

Logan, who has been mysteriously out of circulation for a few months, must call upon her old friends (and possibly her enemies) to find out what is going on behind the gates at Tall Trees.  This doesn't seem to be an easy task because everyone seems to have their own secrets, nor are they readily willing to share them.  As the story unfolds, information is uncovered that points to something larger than Logan, and perhaps even Frith, can imagine.

From the very beginning, Karen Malevich keeps the reader guessing with this erotic thriller.  Karen manages to draw together a very captivating plot that combines sex, suspense, and intrigue in a story that will hold your attention throughout.

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~swimss/index1.htm

Alt/short story/ classic x&g/ finished
Recommended by Bedbard (bedbard@hotmail.com) 20 Jan 01

When Gabrielle's nightmares take a strange twist, the Warrior Princess finds herself troubled both by what this is doing to her friend and what this is doing to their relationship. 

http://tiggsxenapage.com/XenaVerse/MC/Transitions1.htm

Alt-Uber Rated R, Novel 767 pages - complete
Recommended by Rocky (shaunday@connect.ab.ca) 6/27/00

Okay I admit it, when I saw the size of the file for this puppy I almost choked; but you know what?  When I was done (yes I read it in one sitting <g>) I was wishing there was more. Jamie Evans is 'The Girl Next Door.'  She is a junior English major at Berkeley, engaged to Jack Townsend a 3rd year Stanford Law student. She's rich, she's pretty and has her life all plotted out.  She needs an easy 3 hour psych class that fits her schedule: Psychology 197 - The Psychology of the Lesbian Experience.  It's at 8am, no final, just some projects done with a partner.  Perfect.  ...Enter Ryan O'Flaherty.

Pack a lunch, it's a long trip but you'll be glad you went.

http://lynka.simplenet.com/foundmyheart.htm

See also Book 2: Beginnings:
http://lynka.simplenet.com/beginningsonefile.htm

Alt-Uber Rated R,Novel 512 pages - complete
Recommended by Rocky (shaunday@connect.ab.ca) 6/27/00

The Annual California AIDS ride is a 500 mile Bicycle trip between S.F. and L.A.  Jamie has been training with Ryan to go in the ride.  They have both had to make sacrifices and learned a lot about themselves and each other in this endeavor.  This novel chronicles their experiences from one end of the ride to the other and the discoveries they make along the way.

Yup, it's another longy, and again it's worth it.  Can't wait for the next one.

http://lynka.simplenet.com/beginningsonefile.htm

See also Book 1: Awakenings:
http://lynka.simplenet.com/foundmyheart.htm

ALT, Conqueror, hurt-comfort, unfinished.
Rewiewed by Sichenia (e-stefani@usa.net) 11-27-2000

I absolutely love Conqueror stories, but I have to admit they tend to become a little repetitive after you've read 30-something of them. 

In a way or another, the rebel-poet-slave Gabrielle is always defeated-captured-sold and faces the mighty-cruel-brooding Conqueror. After some (how much depends on the Bard) time and/or
angst-torture-crucifixions, Xena is reformed by Gabrielle's love and they live happily ever after.

Well, in Conquered you won't find *anything* in line with the Conqueror bardic canon. First of all, Xena is not ruling. She's been defeated by Alexander, and is prisoner in Shark Island, at the mercy of the sadistic warden Thelassa. Gabrielle has lost a leg as a consequence of her crucifixion, and is bitter and angry. She wants to hate Xena, and the former Destroyer of Nations helps it in their first meeting insulting her and hurting her with her words. But Gabrielle doesn't leave, and slowly breaks the defenses of the Conqueror... and her own at the same time.

Conquered is a story *not* for those who hate to see the main charachters mistreated. There's a lot of suffering (both physical and psychological) for Xena and Gabrielle in this story, but boy, the story
couldn't be as good without it. And Conquered IS definetly a very good story. Grammar and spelling are flawless. The characters are wonderfully outlined, their actions always have a reason, and while at the beginning you obviously side with the hurt, resentful Gab and her hate, but bit by bit you can't help but becoming sympathetic with Xena. 

Leslie embarked for a really hard journey, trying to change both Xena and Gabrielle, and in my opinion she's made a wonderful job so far. Conquered strengthens my belief that the Conqueror genre can still give us many, many hours of wonderful entertainment. This story is absolutely a "do not miss."

http://www.amazontrails.com/xena/conquered1.htm

Alt Uber Pg-13; Completed story
Recommended by Taleweaver (taleweaver_@excite.com)  March 13, 2001

This story is a cute explanation of what might have happened if Xena were a housewife in 1956. It opens with Xena killing a tomato, and ruefully she admits that she can throw a knife better than she can cook and she and her husband Ares have to settle for take-out. This opening does just what it's supposed to, grab your attention and keep it. During a Friday night card game with "the girls" we are introduced to Xena's friends; Altina, Effy, Callisandra and the new neighbour, Gabriella. It is during this card game that we witness Xena being toyed with like never before, which of course disturbs and intrigues her. I can promise some chuckles for the reader, but I should warn you not to drink anything while reading this story. Innocently, I did, and it wasn't long before I sprayed my monitor with coffee. So don't subject your computer to food or drink projectiles, wait until after reading the story.

Xena's first lesbian kiss apparently overwhelms her so much, that her blood rushes somewhere other than her brain and she passes out. Ares finds his wife's head in Gabriella's lap, and the requested explanation prompted
me to spray the computer with a mouthfull of coffee yet again. With a potentially ugly confrontation out of the way, feminism gains another warrior and Xena's idyllic 1956 lifestyle is changed forever.
 
I highly recommend "Warrior...Princess...Housewife". While you read it, I think I'll go out and get a moisture-proof cover for my computer. Just to be ready for the next funny tale Emily Mills shares with us. "Warrior...Princess...Housewife" can be found at

http://merwolf.com/academy/emills_wph.html

Alt - Other (crossover of classic XWP & Buffy), Short story, Finished
Reviewed by Anima   8.7.99

Bat has some fun turning the episode BETWEEN THE LINES into an episode of Buffy. It's also great fun trying to figure out just *who* has been reincarnated as *whom* before it's revealed! Crossing one love story with another creates an interesting conflict and a back-story filled with rich history. Fans of both shows should enjoy the nuances Bat works into the story.

Nicely mixing just the right amount of humor into this tale of angst makes it a worthwhile read, as does her willingness to deal with less than ideal endings-highly admirable.

http://www.xenite.simplenet.com/fanfiction/f/fastforward.html

ALT, Mel and Janice, Novel, Finished
Recommended by Penumbra (penumbra@clinched.net) February 6, 2000

Despite my general lack of interest in Mel & Janice novels, Bat Morda's got a thing going on. This Uber classic, written waaaay back in 1997, is really a must read for any Uberite. 

Picking up where the episode The Xena Scrolls left us, the story sees our intrepid, butchy archaeologist Janice Convington pair up with Mel Pappas, the seemingly fragile southern belle with fire in her veins
(well, hey, she's Xena's descendant). Xena's and Gabrielle's legacy is in danger of being auctioned off to the four corners of the world and thus the dynamic duo whisk themselves off to great adventures as they
try to save the scrolls and other Xena paraphenalia on sale.

I read this story ages ago, even before I saw the episode that spawned the characters, and thus it was my first foray into the world of Uber. And what great, rollicky fun it is! The dialogue is superb, with
witticism I greatly envy, and of course the story has the only dog I tolerate in fan fic -- Argo. 

OK. If I don't have you convinced yet, picture this: Mel Pappas in a tux. 'Nuff said.

http://xenite.simplenet.com/fanfiction/d/doctor1.html

GEN, Classic X+G 40 pages
Reviewed by Kamouraskan  11/22/00

When one of your favorite authors stops writing there is always a sense of loss. When they return after an absence of over a year with a new epic, it’s time to celebrate.
The author of such brilliant works as Mortal Trade, The Judgment of the Gods, and the perfect short  story After the Volcano, Mary’s forte has always been imaginative creations that highlight the bond and relationship between the Bard and Warrior. This story does exactly that. Though there is no explicit sex, and the story might be considered Gen, their commitment to each other could not be stronger

Set in other mythical kingdom once taken by the Destroyer of Nations, Xena is asked to play a dark role in the upcoming transfer of power, the details of which he is sworn not to reveal to her inquisitive and worried Bard. Gabrielle soon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and that Xena’s life and soul are in the balance.
The story is possibly handicapped by a somewhat slow opening, and by a narrative style different from her usual work. This is not a fanfic bonbon to be scanned.  It is one to be read slowly so that the rhythm of the prose carries you with it.

The story is rich in detail.  She combines the actual character of Hesiod (circa 720 B.C.) with a mystery, a supernatural backdrop and an hidden curse, and moves them with some spectacular sequences and brilliant dialogue. The exploration of the minds and hearts of Gabrielle and Xena, their fears and obligations to the greater good and each other, is discerning and moving.

http://altfic.com/subtextfic/Xena/morgan/inthekingdomofhorses1.htm

Alt, Uber, Novel in progress
Reviewed by  Anima 8.10.99

Looking for something a little different than you've been reading? Maybe something that departs a bit from the traditional romance formula? Perhaps something a little less vanilla?

Harper McFadden, professor and poet, has little in common with Adrian Xanthakis, a tattoo artist with a penchant for rough trade. With a dark history and a take-no-prisoners attitude, Adrian has the worst reputation in town, so much so that no self-respecting dyke wants to be seen with her-though secretly they would all give their left (insert favorite body part) to sleep with her. Coming from completely different worlds, the only things they have in common are their more carnal needs. In essence, Adrian and Harper are drawn together for purely sexual reasons sans any emotional attachment. The suspense that lures the reader along in this story isn't when will they consummate but rather when will they fall in love?

Michal and Joann have written a romance walking backwards. Since sex is what brings the two characters together rather than a more orthodox set up (a shared setting or mutual dilemma), sex is no longer the end, but a means to the end. Approaching it this way is intriguing because the sexual tension is continuously satisfied, leaving the emotional connection between the two characters the thing the reader yearns for. Because the story's very foundation is built upon the desires revolving around BDSM play this won't be to everyone's taste. However, if you're feeling adventurous, the subject is treated with a welcome above-board sophistication. And if this is your cuppa tea, you'll be oh-so happy!

http://www.clinched.net/gmta/speed1.html

Alt-Uber NC-21; Novel - 449 pages - incomplete
Reviewed by  Rocky (shaunday@connect.ab.ca) [8/16/99] 11/02/99

I realize that this style of fiction is not for everyone but since it's so beautifully written take a peek with an open mind.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

"The Speed of the Beat of My heart" By Michal Salat & Joann Muscolo, brings together two people who couldn't be more different if they tried; the delightful part is when they start to discover startling similarities they didn't know existed.

Warning:  Not recommended for reading at work or while visiting Grandma.

http://www.clinched.net/gmta/index.html