4
Vixen posted on
Oct 11, 2006 I really like the fact that Dawn was worrying over whether Spike really wanted her along or not, it seems very much like her to do. And Spike keeping his promise was very sweet. This story made me want to read more of your fiction.
3
Andrea posted on
Jul 7, 2003 For some reason (maybe just me?) I found the ending a little abrupt, but otherwise I didn't have the problems with this story that Saggit did. I ordinarily find it easier to get into fiction that has a clear plot, but I don't mind more impressionistic stuff like this (if I'm using the word at all correctly). I liked this piece.
2
angela posted on
May 20, 2003 That was very sweet
1
Saggit posted on
Apr 16, 2003 This "flight from reality" vignette--the reality of the protagonists, not that of the author--reads as though it were a small fragment lifted from a much larger work. It leaves me frustrated, wondering how Spike came to the decision to leave Sunnyhell with Dawn, and how he convinced or alternately kidnapped her. I was also curious how their friends were reacting. By contrast, the whole "why did you take me along if you didn''t care about me?" dialog seems inconsequential and overly obvious, both in its statement and lack of inner dialog. I''m used to fiction in the grand "life goes on" tradition that avoids neatly wrapped conclusions, but this piece was unsatisfying because I came away with no spark of insight from the characters. This is a far cry from the feeling I had after reading Nepthys'' Le Belle Dame Sans Merci--no plot as such, either, but a wonderful character vignette with striking imagery, focus, and a devastating, understated conclusion.
At the same time, there is a deceptively casual flow to the narrative in Arearea no Varua Ino, subtly emphasizing how easy it is for Spike and Dawn to drift without thought in a moment without beginning, without end. The setting, in which Spike and Dawn move among the ancient cities of Europe, spending a day or two in each area, reinforces the sense of floating, of staying out of touch with reality. Dawn at least enters those ancient cathedrals, though clearly unaware of the associations to be found in such places that go far deeper than bone and earth; Spike, like Plato''s human in the Cave of Shadows, only looks occasionally at picture postcards of what stands in front of him. It is a wonderfully metaphorical backdrop for the couple, and an interesting view of Spike-in-denial. (We Redemptionists tend to prefer Spike-the-Insightful, or Spike-the-Overly-Emotional.)
So for what it''s worth, IMO there''s a great setting for a story here, but only a tantalizing secondary cut scene drawn from one. I hope Nepthys makes something larger out of it. Her work tends to be short and introspective. Perhaps it''s time she broke out.
| | | | | | | | |