Southern Seven #3

Mini Review By Sarah Thompson

My favorite thing in this issue is "From the Log of the Devildog: Writhing Lawn Sprinklers." A fan story of a fan story!
I also really love "Harbinger," which is an extremely sad PGP Avon story; it can make you cry if you're the susceptible sort (as I am in certain moods).
This issue is especially good for adventure-type stories. "Worrad" has nice A-T interaction; they both get hurt. :) "No One Together" shows the fourth-season crew becoming closer to each other in the time between "Orbit" and "Warlord." Are there other stories in this series, and if so, where are they?
An unusual story is "Knight Moves," in which Vila and Avon play chess-- an actual game, with details of the moves.

Review By CB

Going Nowhere Avon goes to pick up his letters of passage in a Delta speakeasy, more Cagney than Casablanca. Avon is unnerved by the turn of events but copes. Fairly predictable but well written, getting Avon exactly right. Fanatic Activities Vila, posing as a medical experiment - nice idea - gets to attend a Fantasy convention. He meets an uptight Avon carrying a three and a half foot model of the Enterprise, and tries to get him to have a good time. Emma Peel is there too, but who is she really? War Leader Avon has lost Vila on a mission and is somewhat upset over it. But has he really been lost? Rather enjoyable story showing another side of Vila, and using Jenna'a smuggling background. Lost Opportunity One page story. Avon almost meets the Lady of the Lake, but has second thoughts. Sensible man. Home by the Sea Vila, Blake and Avon break into a mysterious house on a cliff on a deserted coastline; I forget why, something to do with information from Avalon, a rebel who certainly gets around, at least in fandom. Needless to say, once our heroes are inside all sorts of supernatural nasties come out of the woodwork, but Vila saves the day, not once but twice. He gets no thanks, so what else is new? Half a Loaf Sort post-Gambit story. Cally, Jenna and Blake have heard rumours about sensational happenings at the casino, but how much do they know? And who has forgotten to remove his teleport bracelet? Nightmares, Visions, and History Substantial Blake/Avon story involving pre-cognition and lots of guilt. At the start, it's Avon's turn to have nightmares. Then Blake orchestrates an anti-Federation strike that doesn't go to plan, and life gets worse. Ultimately we discover the origins of Avon's dreams, which may not be what you think. Cleverly written, interesting story. Knight Moves I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Vila takes on Avon at chess. Delightful account. Taken for Granted B7 goes to Hollywood and meets Dynasty. Servalan is there, Sula is there, and life gets complicated. Worrad Avon and Tarrant are at loggerheads (must be the most frequent destination in Blake's 7). They teleport down for a vital component, meet danger, injury and bad weather. One of those stories whose plot devices are overly familiar, but which handles the basic relationship pretty well. Avon and Tarrant ring true, even though their situation doesn't. "Michael" I admit to approaching any story featuring the name of one of the actors with some misgivings. This one has Vila as a Federation agent, and is set just before Rumours of Death. Poor Tom Alternative events after Rumours of Death. Avon is already desolated, and life gets worse. Ultimately Vila is left trying to cope with Avon. The ending is inconclusive but optimistic. Avalon is there, too. The woman is indispensable. A Matter of Choice Short Malodaar story which sees the events on the shuttle as a misunderstanding on Vila's part. No-one Together: a Sparks of the Tempest story. I don't know this series, so I may have missed some of the story's references. Vila convinces himself that Avon had had no real intention of killing him over Malodaar, but they don't get to communicate until the crew go to deliver some components to a rebel group. Vila and Avon get to talk, Servalan intervenes, Avon ends up back on board but hors de combat. By the end Vila and Avon are sorted out, and the crew get to hear a few home truths. Harbinger A gem of a story. Blake and Avon try to comfort Avon, and it's only gradually that we realise what his situation truly is. Blake's7: the Next Generation Two longish humorous stories about the crew's descendants. Curtain Call Blake and Avon have carried through the Gauda Prime scenario, and are talking until the others regain consciousness. From the Log of the Devil Dog...writhing lawn sprinklers To appreciate this one, you have to be familiar with the Hellhound series, and as I'm not, I'm not qualified to make any comments. From the Log of the Hellhound - Book 111 Not having read the first two parts of Hellhound, I'm saving this for later. I've read so many series in the wrong order I thought it would make a nice change to be chronological. As the Hellhound series is widely recognised as excellent, I'm presuming the wait will be worth it. Is Avalon in it?

Contents

Editor: Ann Wortham
Publisher: Ashton Press (Altamonte Springs, FL); authorized reprint by Bill Hupe
Date: First edition: August 1988

Fiction:
Celeste Hotaling, "Going Nowhere" (S0; A)
D. Beetem, "Fanatic Activities" (S0; A-V; AU humor)
Jill Grundfest, "War Leader" (S2)
Nancy Monfette, "Lost Opportunity" (S2?; A)
Michele Rosenberg, "Home by the Sea" (S1)
Northwest Smith, "Half a Loaf" (S2; post-Gambit)
Linda Knights, "Nightmares, Visions, and History" (S2)
Jon Manzo, "Knight Moves" (S2; A-V)
Celeste Hotaling, "Taken for Granted" (S3; Rumours; AU humor)
Joni Gillespie & Judy Kern, "Worrad" (S3; A-Ta-hc)
D. Beetem, "Michael" (S3-S0; V)
Shoshanna, "Poor Tom" (alt-S3; alt-Rumours; A-V)
Sue Williams, "A Matter of Choice" (S4; alt-Orbit)
Northwest Smith, "No One Together" (a Sparks of the Tempest story; S4; post-Orbit; A-hc)
Barbara Adams, "Golden Lady" (S4; So)
Laura Virgil, "Harbinger" (S5; A)
Jeff & Mary Morris, "What Goes Around Comes Around" (Blake's 7: The Next Generation; S5; humor)
Mary & Jeff Morris, "From the Log of the Spuds MacKenzie" (Blake's 7: The Next Generation; S5; humor)
Liz Sharpe, "Curtain Call" (S5)
Vera Laster, "Writhing Lawn Sprinklers" (From the Log of the Devildog; Hellhound parody; S5; humor)
Katrina Snyder & Susanne McGhin, "From the Log of the Hellhound, Book 3" (Shadows of the Night, Weeping
for the Memory, The Ghost of Cain, The Foundling, Finders Keepers; S5)

Nonfiction: Ann Wortham, "From the Airlock..." (editorial)
Kim Wigmore, Holly Hutchison, and Alicia Ann Fox, "The Blake's 7 ABCs" (humor)
Letters of Comment
Submission Guidelines (not in reprint)
Ordering Guidelines (not in reprint)
Horizon statement (not in reprint)
Zine ads (not in reprint)

Poetry:
Kathryn Andersen, "Duel"
Kim Wigmore & Holly Hutchison, "Rappin' Roj Blake" (f, Rapppin' Ron Reagan)
Leah Rosenthal, "Runaways"
Tyndara Meffe, "In the Shade of Sarcophagus"
Kathryn Andersen, "Terminal"
Nancy Monfette, "Vila's Goodbye to the Liberator"
Jacqueline Taero, "Soliloquy: Servalan"
Mary L. Orwig, "Gauda Prime" (f, On Broadway, by Benny King & the Drifters)
Pat Jacquerie, "Death Trap"
Nancy Monfette, "Avon" (f, Vincent, by Don McLean)
Shoshanna, "Eyes Forward" (f, London Calling, by the Clash; Hellhound universe)

Art: Laura Virgil front c. Hellhound A-V (color)
p. 37 A with sword
p. 82 A
p. 163 A
p. 186 illo for "Curtain Call"
p. 198 Hellhound cartoon
p. 292 cartoon
p. 298 cartoon
p. 303 A-V cartoon
Leah Rosenthal p. 1 A as flamingo
p. 20 B
p. 35 B
p. 50 B
p. 65 B
p. 101 Se
p. 115 A-V cartoon
p. 129 A-V; illo for "Poor Tom"
p. 306 A-V cartoon
p. 311 A-B cartoon
p. 313 A-V as children
back c. (not in reprint)
(as "Vera Laster") p. 196 tp for "Writhing"
Celeste Hotaling pp. 6-12 cartoon illos for "B7 ABCs"
p. 19 cartoon illo for "Fanatic"
p. 88 cartoon illo for "Taken"
p. 97 cartoon illo for "Taken"
p. 134 A-V cartoon
p. 165 tp for "B7 Next Gen"
p. 171 cartoon illo for "What"
p. 177 cartoon illo for "Spuds"
p. 289 PD cartoon
Gayle Feyrer p. 15 A
p. 126 A
Theresa Buffaloe p. 22 A-V; illo for "War Leader"
p. 28 A-B; illo for "War Leader"
p. 34 V
p. 54 A-J
p. 63 B-A
p. 73 B
p. 151 A
Aldrin Aw p. 42 A-V
Barb Johnson p. 47 A-V
Kathryn Andersen p. 69 C
p. 79 B
p. 118 Anna
p. 121 Se
p. 138 D
p. 143 D
p. 146 So
p. 153 Ta
p. 183 A
Susann Molnar p. 103 A-Ta; illo for "Worrad"
p. 108 A-Ta; illo for "Worrad"
p. 111 D-V-ocm; illo for "Worrad"
Dani Lane p. 117 V
p. 156 Ta, D
p. 157 A, V
p. 158 So
Nancy Monfette p. 131 Liberator exploding
Mary Gerstner p. 133 A
Karen River p. 154 Se
p. 193 A; illo for "Deathtrap"
Katrina Snyder p. 200 Hellhound A
pp. 204-6 Hellhound tps
p. 224 B-ocf; Hellhound tp
p. 235 A-ocm; Hellhound tp
p. 255 A-ocm; Hellhound tp
p. 268 D-V-ocm; Hellhound tp
p. 294 Hellhound 'toons


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