Read Any Good Fic Lately?

SPN Rec: When Myths Collide

I seriously, seriously need to get my LOC mojo together because there's a ton of good stuff popping up on my radar and the urge to send authors (and occasionally the promises I've made to them if not myself) detailed, impressionistic rambling letters of comment is strong, but I'm having trouble keeping my brain focused on any one thing at the moment.

So, what I'm doing is not really instead of, but kind of a place holder, until I can get my act together but mostly because I want you, my flist, to read these -- and if you have to wait until I do get it together...well...

Two today -- both rather lengthy and one with a brief overview of a verse.

What these have in common is the use of myth, of folklore, often overlapping, and as complex and lovely as a tapestry that delights the eye -- but the real secret is, when you flip it over, there's a whole other tapestry tableau on the back side.

I am so overdue for sending Rei-c lengthy feedback it's not even funny and even before I can get to her latest story Equivalence, I need to mention Synchoresis which she posted back in the middle of August. Some of you may remember my rec for Fundamental Image a while back. Both Synchoresis and Equivalence all into that universe, set before it, and are kind of the back story for Sam's evolving abilities and powers, as well as his deepening relationship with Dean.

They all contain solid, complex layers of plot, incredibly good characterizations -- not entirely "on" for what we see of Sam and Dean in the series but a natural evolution of their personalities and relationships and how they handle things -- as Sam's abilities become far more than theory or potential. The latest two are more Sam-centric, but only in that the immediate focus is on Sam coming to terms with his gifts, but in many ways, all of the stories really have Sam kind of flinging himself off into space (or the astral plane) and Dean both consciously and subconsciously yanking him back lest he get to far and be unable to find his way home. There's a symmetry there that works really well for me. Dean's got his priorities pretty straight, pretty solid, and Sam's very much not nearly so sure of himself, or of what his purpose is.

But mostly what I love about these stories is Rei-c's use of layered mythology and folklore. It is very uniquely her own and yet there are so many recognizable influences: everything from the native American starlit paths, the use of the Loa of Voudon, a smattering of what reads like Marion Zimmer Bradley's influence from her Darkover novels, maybe a little Celtic lore thrown in to give it a rich color. That actual identifiable influence (if they are that) really don't matter as much as the fact that Rei's managed to weave them all together in a way that makes sense of this universe, for Supernatural, for this journey she's put the boys on. What such a potpourri does enable the reader to do though is to grab for some anchors here and there as they follow the paths she's laid down, and never feel like you've lost your way.

And at the same time, she's managed to introduce totally new elements every time. In Fundamental Image it was Voudon, In Synchoresis, it was Native American folklore, and in her latest there's the profound of influence of Latvia/Russian mythology, which makes perfect sense to me when you think of how much culture, folklore, mythology and ritual was brought to the new world by the immigrants.

The one downside to this story (if you can call it that) is that it ends relatively abruptly. There's a reason for it, and there's nothing like wanting more at the end of the story, and this one leaves a bitter bite in the back of your throat and well it should.

It isn't disappointing, it's just a hard ending.


The same kind of layering and overlapping of myths shows up in hansbekhart's Beach Blanket Poltergeist. Don't let the title fool you -- it's not a take off the Frankie and Annette movies of the 50's, and it's not all fun in the surf and sand. What it is is a richly detailed, kind of stunningly researched foray into the history of California, particularly Santa Cruz, from the native peoples that lived there to the incursion of the Spanish and the missionaries and the sometimes bloody incursion Christianity made into the area. There's a little of this and a little of that, and it all seems tangled and confused (and the boys think so too) until the underlying cause of the bloodshed both past and present is brought into focus.

I waited until the whole thing was finished to read -- and I'm very glad I did, because there's so much there, and the steps the boys take to resolve the sudden appearance of ghosts and angry spirits are amazingly well thought out. There's also a really beautiful look at Sam and Dena's relationship, how it is, how it was, how it's changed and how it continues to grow. If brotherly devotion is your kink, this story is going to make you very, very happy.


Read, enjoy, give them feedback.

posted by Maygra @ 10:31 PM