The Trainer by Linda Cornett (PG)

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

And with beginnings, comes endings. . . or is it vice versa? It's another ball-park rating, anyway.

Fandom: MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: lcorn
Author Website: Observations

Why this must be read:

Because this is the best deathfic I have read in this fandom (and many others). No, don't run away! I avoided this story for a long time because of its 'take no prisoners' opening line: "My partner is dead."

Once I overcame my squeamishness, I regretted every minute I'd delayed reading it. Linda does far more than superbly encapsulate the mental, physical and emotional shock of grief. She also reveals the human side of an often inhuman profession, and demonstrates how the end of one partnership can become the beginning of another.

Trust me, and pull the bandage off quickly. It's worth it.

The Trainer

Comments

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Lovely... thanks for pointing it out!

The Trainer by Linda Cornett (PG)

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

"Lovely... thanks for pointing it out!"

You're welcome. I really wanted to rec this story because deathfics can scare so many people away from really great writing. It certainly scared me off at first!

Thanks for letting me know you appreciated the recommendation.

[nepthys-uk.livejournal.com]

Excellent story - very nice twist at the end. Thanks for the rec!

The Trainer by Linda Cornett (PG)

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

"Excellent story - very nice twist at the end. Thanks for the rec!"

You're welcome. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the recommendation.

I enjoyed the twist here as well, and I'm picky when it comes to them. If the twist means 'BTW everything you've read and got emotionally involved with up to this point is all a lie', I turn into a four year old that's been told she can't have a hot dog for lunch. Not that I've denied a four year old a hot dog recently or anything. ;-)

But twists like the one in The Trainer feel like you only expected one hot dog, but got two instead, and with yummy fries to boot. Hmmm, my metaphors indicate I'm hungry. :-)

Wow. Thanks.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you, Elisabeth, for the rec and for being willing to take the gamble on the story. I'm not a big fan of death fic, either, but this one wanted to be what it wanted to be. I appreciate you encouraging others to give it a chance.

Linda

Re: Wow. Thanks.

[elizabethhelena.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, Linda.

I enjoyed other stories by you which encouraged me to take the plunge into "The Trainer". Surprise, it became one of my favourites. So, I figured there might be others like me who would be gun shy, but who would ultimately enjoy the story too.