Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: none
Length: 360K
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: The Sandburg Zone

Why this must be read: For those of us who like missing scenes/epilogues, this is a feast.

Although more active in the Hercules: TLJ fandom, Quiet Wolf has quite a nice collection of TS stories, most of them focusing either on the close friendship between Jim and Blair or case stories that they solve. With a site named “The Sandburg Zone”, they tend toward Blair-centricity, but Jim is treated well.

This is her newest offering and it’s *huge*. It’s a series of missing scenes/epilogues for virtually every episode in the series, in chronological order. She’s put in a cool feature -- you can click on a link to jump to a particular episode, or you can just read them in order, as I did.

It’s a really nice mix and fills in some of those pesky plot holes: Why Blair was arrested at the end of Girl Next Door. Why they keep using an untrained police observer in undercover work. How Jim could have mistrusted Blair during TSbBS, after all they had been through. She also makes some interesting suppositions as to why certain events occurred. Mostly, through these little slices, the spotlight is on Jim and Blair’s developing relationship; as friends, partners and as sentinel and guide. It makes for an absorbing study, especially when read in its entirety.

The only thing I didn’t care for, and it’s a personal preference, is that she puts song lyrics at the beginning of each section. I’m not a fan of the practice, as often it’s meaningful to the writer but not the reader. So, I just skipped them and really enjoyed this entertaining look at what might have happened “off-stage”. Of course, if you like tying song lyrics to fic, it will only add to your reading pleasure. Enjoy.

One Day at a Time


--magician’s mantra: make an author’s day. Send feedback if you liked their story!

Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Length: 22000 words
Author on LJ: mad_maudlin.
Author's website: Their fic journal 10leaguesbeyond
Why this must be read: A rain of frogs, inadvertent body swapping, rings, magic and shovels are the ingredients of the story. Told from Arthur's POV it's what happens when he wonders what goes on in Merlin's head and ends up there literally.

Arthur is awesomely confused when he wakes up as a servant to Prince Merlin but with his own memories. How he gets out of this predicament makes a great story. In his quest to get his and Merlin's life back on track, Arthur finds out quite a few secrets and comes to some startling realisations. I love the author's way of combining humour and more serious storytelling and hope you enjoy the story as much as I do...

You're a mile away and have their shoes