Gambit 2

Contents

Editor: Jean Graham
Publisher: Peacock Press
Date: April 1988

Fiction:
Debra Bruce, "A Fine Bargain" (S0)
Carol Wyke, "Imago" (S0)
J. S. Mulvey, "Mss Found in a Bottle (Labeled Soma)" (S1)
J. S. Mulvey, "Mss Found in a Bottle (Labeled Soma) II" (S1)
April Giordano & Mary Gerstner, "Seeing Red" (S1)
April Giordano & Mary Gerstner, "Summer Vacation" (S1)
Jeanne DeVore, "The Chains of Freedom" (S1)
Nancy Klauschie, "Blind Luck" (S1)
Leigh Arnold, "Explosion" (S1)
Mike & Leslie Williams, "The Adventures of Jake's 7" (comic strip; humor; S2)
Susan Murrie Eoff, "Jailbreak" (S2)
Leah Rosenthal and Ann Wortham, with thanks to Marc Thorner, "Cash on Deliverance" (Bizarro 7 universe; humor; S2)
Jean Graham, "Rencontre" (sequel to "Keeper of the Trust" in Gambit #1; S2)
Rebecca Reeves, "When You Rise to the Occasion" (S2)
Kathy Coy, "That Which Evades" (S2)
Linda Knights, "Yesterday: Memories of Today" (S3)
Sheila Paulson, "The Night Wind" (S3)
K. Rae Travers, "Alone: I Hope!" (S4)
Meg Garrett, "Force of Attraction" (humor; S4)
Pearl Stickler, "A State of Mind" (S5)
Alinda Allain and CarolMel Ambassador, "Renewal" (from
the Vengeance series; S5)
Cindy Rancourt, "A Matter of Trust" (S5)
Michael Wiliams, "Phantasm Projection" (S5)
Sophia R. Mulvey, "Shadoas with No Substance" (S5)
Alana McShane, "Aftereffects of a Dream" (S5)
Peggy Hartsook, "Outside Impression" (S5)
Mary Gerstner, "The Wall" (S5)
Mary Gerstner, "To Tear Down the Wall" (S5)

Nonfiction:
From Ye Editor
Zine Page
Letter Column

Puzzles:
Sandy Lyons, "Logic Problem: The Vogan Bar and Grill"
Sandy Lyons, "Puzzle: Quote Puzzle"
Sandy Lyons, "Word Search: The Enemies of Blake's 7"
Sandy Lyons, "More Puzzles: Figure Puzzle"

Poetry:
Cheryl Beresford, "The Man Who Went Outside"
Teresa Ward, "Point of View"
Alicia Ann Fox, "Dance of Death" (f, Clementine or Marine Hymn)
Sharyn Sobel, "Lord of the Dance" (f)
Teresa Ward, "Casual Observer-- Soolin"
Sharyn Sobel, "Where Have All the Rebels Gone?" (f, Where Have All the Flowers Gone)
V. Restal, "Avon" (f, Laura, by B. Joel)
Alyns Lawchilde, "Exile"
Teresa Ward, "Before the Crash"

Art:
Mary Gerstner cover wheel and dice
inside cover C
p. 246 title for "The Wall"
p. 264 illo for "The Wall"
p. 266 title for "Tear Down"
p. 284 illo for "Tear Down"
Michael Williams p. 8 A, V
p. 21 A, V, S
p. 34 Liberator crew, J
p. 72 Liberator
p. 136 B, A
p. 192 So
p. 202 Ta
p. 233 B, A
p. 235 A-S, illo for "Phantasm"
p. 240 A, V
p. 265 A
p. 288 D
back cover V in Gambit
Denise Loague p. 25 A
p. 44 J
p. 135 C
p. 286 A
S. Molnar p. 30 B, J
p. 193 Ta
Judith Boguslaski p. 57 illo for "Chains"
p. 66 illo for "Chains"
p. 71 illo for "Chains"
Craig Kozeluh p. 85 cartoons
Cynthia Case p. 194 B, A
p. 288 ocf?
Lynne A. Wytten p. 207 illo for "Alone"
p. 208 illo for "Alone"
p. 265 C

Review of Gambit 2

Reviewed By CB

Peacock Press 1988 ed Jean Graham
294 pages comb bound

Stories:
Pre Series A
A Fine Bargain by Debra Bruce
Imago by Carol Wyke

Series A
MSS Found in a Bottle (Labelled Soma) by J S Mulvey
MSS Found in a Bottle 11
Seeing Red by April Giordano and Mary Gerstner
Summer Vacation by April Giordano and Mary Gerstner
Chains of Freedom by Jeanne DeVore
Blind Luck by Nancy Klauschie
Explosion by Leigh Arnold

Series B
Jake's 7 by Mike and Leslie Williams
Jailbreak by Susan Murrie Eoff
Cash on Deliverance by Ann Wortham and Leah Rosenthal
Rencontre by Jean Graham
When You Rise to the Occasion by Rebecca Reeves
That Which Evades by Kathy Coy

Series C
Yesterday, Memories of Today by Linda Knights
The Night Wind by Sheila Paulson

Series D
Alone, I Hope! by K. Rae Travers
Force of Attraction by Meg Garrett

Series E
A State of Mind by Pearl Stickler
Renewal by Alinda Allain and Carol Mel Ambassador
A Matter of Trust by Cindy Rancourt
Phantasm Projection by Michael Williams
Shadows with no Substance by Sophia R Mulvey
Aftereffects of a Dream by Alana McShane
Outside Impression by Peggy Hartsook
The Wall by Mary Gerstner
To Tear Down the Wall Mary Gerstner

Also poems, filks, puzzles and drawings, and a great editorial which lists some prime examples of spell checker substitutes for personal names - I particularly enjoyed Avon / Avoid and Teleport / Teapot (What a pity there are no B7 characters called Marion and Angus because I know from experience they turn into Moron and Anus)

In "A Fine Bargain" a teenage, poverty stricken Vila is hired by Avon to pick locks. Vila proves he knows what he's doing, Avon educates him on the value of access codes. They tentatively initiate their familiar (to us) relationship.

"Imago" is an intelligent account of Servalan's affair with Don Keller during her time as a cadet under Kasabi. Servalan shows her ruthlessness and also gets hurt. Excellent story, making good use of the episodes from which it arises.

"MMS in a Bottle (Labelled Soma)" is not as you might think a Vila story. It is told in the first person by an unknown who has been marooned on a planet and gets an unexpected visitor in Avon. The Sequel gives Avon's side of the encounter.

"Seeing Red" is a comic short and has Zen showing Avon who is boss.

"Summer Vacation" is a lot of fun. The crew have a great time at Space City and Jenna gets to keep the Harley Davidson.

"Chains of Freedom" is a longer story. Avon finds himself unexpectedly involved with a woman and her local politics when Blake goes politicking. Quite good, though the ending is predictable.

The central idea behind "Blind Luck" is simple but unusual and I can't say much more without giving it away. A beguiling Avon/Vila story.

Avon's past is explored in "Explosion". The crew get involved with a rebel computer set up, and the story turns into a whodunnit with Cally as the detective.

"Jailbreak" begins with Blake and Avon in a detention cell, getting rescue from an unexpected quarter. Not very convincing.

In "Cash on Deliverance" Vila is mesmerised by the delectable wares offered by the Galactic Dome Shopping centre. However his shopping habits save Liberator from attack. An inventive Bizarro 7 story.

"Rencontre" is an epilogue to Keeper of the Trust in Gambit 1. Blake confronts an elusive Avon after a mission has gone wrong. They have a revealing and antagonistic exchange that ends with ominous words. A very, very good short story.

"When You Rise to the Occasion" has Vila having to support Avon and rescue everyone else. Quite good, but the ending is a bit of a cop-out.

"That which Evades" is a Travis story. Servalan is having the original Travis re-conditioned , and has a series of encounters with the doctor in charge about the way Travis is developing.

"Yesterday: Memories of Today" starts from the premise that Avon and Dayna are especially close. They teleport down to rescue a psychologically disturbed Blake, and the remaining crew have a hard time locating them. Finally, and ironically with Vila's help, Blake comes to a decision. Quite a believable story, if you buy the initial Avon/Dayna angle and go for log cabin by the lake scenarios.

"Night Wind" is a brilliant Avon/Tarrant story set some time after the Teal Vandor Convention, wonderfully acute is its descriptions of Tarrant's feelings and attitudes towards his crewmates. He goes to see Avon late at night and they talk warily. This is probably the best story in the zine.

"Alone; I Hope!"; while the rest of the crew are away, Avon and Vila get a message from Blake, but is it genuine? Avon meets an old acquaintance and so does Vila. The plot could have done with a bit more development, especially over motivation.

"Force of Attraction" is a one pager whose point I missed.

"A State of Mind" is a PGP where everyone seems to have survived. However there is a sting in the tail.

"Renewal" is a brief excerpt from the "Renewal" series which starts with Avon's killing Servalan. It proceeds at a bewildering gallop, but then I've not read any others from this series.

"A Matter of Trust" is an emotional PGP. Avon has collapsed mentally and physically, Blake tries to help him readjust. Quite good

The next three stories are all brief PGPs. "Phantasm Projection" is a macabre one-pager where Servalan gets more than she expected. "Shadows with no Substance" gives an alternative version of what was happening to Avon. In "Aftereffects of a Dream" Avon and Vila are rescued by one of Blake's people.

"Outside Impression" is told by the child in a rebel family which works with the Scorpio crew. Straightforward with no surprises.

In "The Wall" Avon and Soolin survive, plot with other rebels and get enmeshed in one of Servalan's plots. Next comes "To Tear Down the Wall"; to discuss the plot would be to give away the surprises of the first story.


Last updated on 16th of April 2001

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