*explodes in a cloud of squee*

[sholio]

I seriously have the best Yuletide writer ever. I have never done yuletide before, and I was prepared to be happy for whatever I got, but this, wow ...! I mean, they totally nailed it, the sort of thing I like, just ... nailed it! Long (and it is LONG!), plot-driven, hard-SF, perfectly canon-compliant, with no hearts & flowers but tons of just-below-the-surface caring and devotion; and h/c (the subtle kind! weeeeeeeeee!) and ... just, oh, they couldn't have done better if they'd known me. Heck, it's anonymous, maybe they DO know me; I guess I won't find out until Jan. 1.

Until and unless Ms. Cherryh writes more about the Hellburner crew, and possibly even then, this story is now my personal canon for what happens to them after Hellburner.

If you haven't read Heavy Time and Hellburner by CJ Cherryh -- they're two of my favorite SF novels of all time. I read Heavy Time in high school and one of my biggest squee moments ever was finding out a few years later that not only was there a sequel, but a sequel in which the characters developed in exactly the direction that my little fluttering fangirl heart wanted them to. (Hmm ... an asshole computer guy with lousy people skills and a pretty-boy pilot with a death wish -- sound familiar? *g* Except Ben's far more of a jerk than Rodney on his absolute worst day, and Dekker makes John look like the most psychologically well-adjusted person ever. Plus, it's got seriously awesome women, and fantastic universe-building, and couples that I really truly like -- I just love this series, and despite much searching, I have never found Dek/Ben/Meg/Sal fanfic, EVER. And now I have one that is just perfect. Yay, Yuletide! Rock on!)

Comments

[roga.livejournal.com]

I haven't read your fandom, but now I wish I had.

It's so fun seeing everyone squeeing about yuletide! I haven't participated in that many ficathons, but of the ones I have this is definitely the biggest, most squee-inducing on a massive scale, funnest one. Everyone just gets so excited at the same time! And soon the recs will start pouring in! Yay.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Have you read Cherryh's Cloud's Rider and Rider at the Gate? I'm wondering if the two books you mentioned are anything like them. Utterly fascinating world and concept, but for some reason I had the hardest time reading them on an emotional level. I don't know why. Some day I need to finish them.

[norah.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you got something you loved - because you certainly gave me something I loved! Thank you again for my wonderful, beautiful, PERFECT story!

[opalmatrix.livejournal.com]

I have no idea whether it's "done" for me to come talk to you about this like this ... but I am a sentimental fool, so I here I am.

I'm just so pleased that you liked it! Hellburner is one of my favorite books of all time, and I was very, very happy to get your request. I had noticed long ago that Graff had ended up on Norway, and I had often wondered how the other Dekker & co. came through the Company War, so this gave me a chance to think about it.

(BTW, if you like to talk CJC, I can enthusiastically recommend Shejidan (http://z11.invisionfree.com/Shejidan), which is a fan-operated CJC message board.)

[naye]

Now you've made me curious - is Hellburner actually a sequel to some other book? Because I bought it ages ago, and couldn't get into it, and if I was supposed to know the characters/universe, that would make a little more sense. Of course, I think I might just have been a little too young for it - my edition felt very dense, and I'm still not used to reading hard SF, so at 14 or 15, I'm not sure how well I did with the actual reading of it (it's not translated - this was the English edition).

Ahh, wish I had my copy of the book around so I could give it another go - but maybe the library will have it!