umi

I really liked it - sensitive and passionate. It kind of leaves one hanging, though, ready to be pulled in to the wonderfully written, though Brechtian (epic, unfinished, with jumps between) New to Love series. There may well be some stereotypes and projections of how life was (in BBB), but there often are in romances (are romance stories anything else?). The present-day NtL saga, which continues from BBB, is a portrayl not only of love in an interracial couple, but of contemporary life on and off the reserve, the struggles to maintain tradition, fight against corruption in the powers that be, and to gain respect for gays in an often divided community. And there's alot of sex, but it is much heavier on love and deeper ways of connecting. I am just sorry the author couldn't complete that series- he put so much into it. I mean there is so much richness there.

Hey I found a gem! Christopher P Lydon is on Episode 12 of DarkerProjects' behind the scenes series. He talks about his writing, his process overall, his life and what has happened since the audio adaptation of TFB... Check it out! http://www.darkerprojects.com/behind_the_scenes_at_darker_projects.php (btw, he was in China at the time - 2008?)

I want to encourage you, Christopher P Lydon, wherever you are, to finish/post Carter's Rebellion. My last week was spent reading through the saga so far, and I was completely engrossed. Though I grew up in the Ottawa valley and was happy to leave it, right from Army I learned to love the area again. Will and Andrew are marvelous characters that feel so real, as I identify with both of them (which is why Duty was such a difficult read); Will as self and Andrew as reflection/partner/other. For this reason Andrew's character in particular captured my heart. West as well was very in-depth and well-written, and Peter too, though I kept wanting more of Peter as the series drew on. And Brody!! I had a smile on my face whenever he appeared, especially after going back and rereading Army, and picking up on things about him I'd overlooked before. It was satisfying for Andrew and Will to finally reconnect at the end, but please, let them have some time together in which they can truly support their next stages of growth as a team, without Will's stubbornness or Andrew's unrequited love holding them back. For the record, I appreciated Marc's relationship with Will in terms of plot - it would have been difficult for anyone to get under Will's defenses, and it was nice to see him relaxing and learning to have fun. I was, however shouting at the screen in protest when they were proposing to each other, though! Even though both Will and Andrew contain themselves, each in their own way, their individual sense of purpose supports both of them in their careers, and their bond is so much a part of who they are as people. That is what I look forward to seeing play out through the final book. I was impressed to learn that your work is somewhat auto-biograhical, though I guess that is what gives your setting, characters and story such depth. This is quite a project you have done here (which has taught me more about hockey dynamics and Canadian political machinations than I learned in any school!) and I offer you my humble thanks as a reader, for all your hard work and persistence. It seems you have been somewhat awol, in Cambodia?, which must have resulted in several paradigm shifts that perhaps make it difficult to pick up previous threads... especially if those threads are several years old by now. Though it may be a creative challenge to revisit, I hope you can see a near future in which those threads are brought together, and the tapestry completed. There is some fine wordcraft here, and this saga is too good for abandonment. I hope this comment is not a kiss of death for this series - it is meant as heartfelt thanks for writing such an engrossing tale and encouragement to continue. ♡