Involution 1

edited by Janna Stockinger

ORION PRESS' fanzine which focuses on Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the Enterprise. This Human-interest / romance / relationship publication includes drama, hurt-comfort, the dalliance, of our favorite starship captain. Stories in INVOLUTION can range from G to R, however, no age statement is required.

INVOLUTION 1 features

"Balancing Point" -- Mary Soon Lee starts the zine off with an extremely well written, highly detailed story about two men stranded on a lifeless planet. For 'Jean' and 'Will', it is a test for survival as they confront both physical injuries and a strange form of amnesia.

The next five stories comprise the P/C section of this zine, and we find Jean-Luc and Beverly either together, apart, with someone else, or just plain confusedl

Jo-Ann Lassiter starts it off with "Into Each Life" -- a warm look (and I don't mean 'heated'! Shame on you!) at our favorite twosome. A soft rain, a warm fire, and a good friend can do wonders, sometimes, when you're feeling down.

Next up is a light-hearted story by Lynn Lorton: "The Date" -- What would happen if the Captain and the Doctor ever went on a REAL date? Lorton gives us a peek at such a possibility.

Of course for every light side, you have the reverse, and Daphne van Owens explores the down side to any emotional give-and-take with "The Strength to Dare."

In "By Every Thought," J.M. Martin shows us a Picard who finds that the old saying, "two's company but three's a crowd" still holds true -- even when one of the group is all in his imagination. Of course it doesn't help when it's the imaginary companion that is his true heart's desire.

The final story to this section, "Coming Out of the Dark" by Jordan Trevor, sees the Captain with all his companions ... on a plantation in the antebellum South. It is one dear friend however that consumes his thoughts. Lost between the world of the Enterprise and the Old South, Picard clings to the one person whose presence bridges both worlds.

In "This Stranger, My Brother," Brenda Shaffer explores the early childhood of Jean-Luc Picard, an area that is sadly neglected in the literature. We all need to remember that the man is the extension of the child, and a little insight into a young Jean-Luc and his brother, Robert, is just what's needed.

It's now time for a little comic relief and we can thank our next two writers for that.

BEKi provides us with a cozy little scenario with the Captain and his First Officer deposited in a dungeon, more than a little the worse for wear. While a discussion on the wine to serve with roach fricassee provides the levity, the struggle by Riker to stay conscious after a barroom brawl adds a dark undertone in "Last Call at Dead Lazlow's."

Tanya Chang's "Quarantine" shows that while a little hay fever is no tempest in a teapot, when it gets out of control it is nothing to be sneezed at (sorry .... )

We end now with a couple of 'darker' stories.

The Borg cannot be dismissed and Carol Davis' "An Hour of Darkness," explores Wesley Crusher's reactions to both the Borg and the whole idea of being 'in command' some day--both scary thoughts.

Finally, as usual, I personally have fun looking at Captain Picard under conditions that are not exactly cheerful, to say the least. With the help of three children, though, Picard realizes that he may, indeed, be able to "Build Again."

Artwork by Barbara Caldwell, M.J. Millard and David Lawrence. Poetry by Carol Lance, M.J. Millard, Brenda Shaffer, and Daphne van Owens. Cartoons by Fran Wong, BEKi, M.J. Millard and Ann Davenport.

174 pages, 8½" x 11" size, comb binding.

Price:
$14.75, US Priority Mail.
$20.75, Elsewhere.

Order from:

Randall Landers
3211 Saddleleaf Avenue
Albany, Georgia 31721

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