Title: If the Darkness Lasts
Fandom: The Eagle (2011 movie), Eagle of the Ninth (Rosemary Sutcliff book)
Pairing: Marcus Flavius Aquila/Cottia/Esca Mac Cunoval (in various combinations)
Categories: Drama, Angst, Horror, Action/Adventure, Post-Canon, Supernatural (Zombies)
Length: Epic (43,771 words)
Warnings: per author: "violence/gore, minor [and secondary] character death (including several children), and underage sexuality (Cottia is 16-17, and an adult within the setting of the story)"

Author on LJ: seascribe (with art by motetus)
Author Website: Seascribe

Author's Summary:
When the dead begin to rise up and walk, Marcus, Cottia, and Esca must leave behind the little farm on the Downs and learn how to build a new life together out of the ruins of the world they once knew.

Review:
I'm a sucker for zombie fics, and this one is a CANON-ERA zombie apocalypse AU. Can you imagine how horrifying zombies would be with no clue of what they are? It's already a freaky freaky thing, but with no cultural context, how terrifying! Marcus, Esca and Cottia have to figure out everything for themselves when their farm is attacked and they discover a neighboring family has been either killed or transformed into the walking dead. Realizing their little farm in not defensible, and worried for Uncle Aquila and Cottia's family, they head out on a grim journey to Calleva, and then beyond to find safety. The situation tests and tempers their relationships, forging newer and stronger bonds between the three. I found the shifting dynamics between the trio particularly interesting and fulfilling.

The story is a fusion with the 2011 movie and the Rosemary Sutcliff book (which I haven't read) and I really enjoyed the strength of the female character Cottia (girl, you shoot those arrows), and the inclusion of their pet wolf, Cub and other elements of the book to round out the film-verse.

A gripping drama, with horror and action/adventure elements. It also had the mark of truly excellent story: I didn't want it to end!

Mind the warnings, particular in regards to character death; if a character isn't Esca, Cottia or Marcus, they are in DANGER.

The fic was written for the 2012 Eagle Big Bang, and is accompanied by truly gorgeous art by motetus.

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

If the Darkness Lasts

Title: If the Darkness Lasts
Fandom: The Eagle (2011 movie), Eagle of the Ninth (Rosemary Sutcliff book)
Pairing: Marcus Flavius Aquila/Cottia/Esca Mac Cunoval (in various combinations)
Categories: Drama, Angst, Horror, Action/Adventure, Post-Canon, Supernatural (Zombies)
Length: Epic (43,771 words)
Warnings: per author: "violence/gore, minor [and secondary] character death (including several children), and underage sexuality (Cottia is 16-17, and an adult within the setting of the story)"

Author on LJ: seascribe (with art by motetus)
Author Website: Seascribe

Author's Summary:
When the dead begin to rise up and walk, Marcus, Cottia, and Esca must leave behind the little farm on the Downs and learn how to build a new life together out of the ruins of the world they once knew.

Review:
I'm a sucker for zombie fics, and this one is a CANON-ERA zombie apocalypse AU. Can you imagine how horrifying zombies would be with no clue of what they are? It's already a freaky freaky thing, but with no cultural context, how terrifying! Marcus, Esca and Cottia have to figure out everything for themselves when their farm is attacked and they discover a neighboring family has been either killed or transformed into the walking dead. Realizing their little farm in not defensible, and worried for Uncle Aquila and Cottia's family, they head out on a grim journey to Calleva, and then beyond to find safety. The situation tests and tempers their relationships, forging newer and stronger bonds between the three. I found the shifting dynamics between the trio particularly interesting and fulfilling.

The story is a fusion with the 2011 movie and the Rosemary Sutcliff book (which I haven't read) and I really enjoyed the strength of the female character Cottia (girl, you shoot those arrows), and the inclusion of their pet wolf, Cub and other elements of the book to round out the film-verse.

A gripping drama, with horror and action/adventure elements. It also had the mark of truly excellent story: I didn't want it to end!

Mind the warnings, particular in regards to character death; if a character isn't Esca, Cottia or Marcus, they are in DANGER.

The fic was written for the 2012 Eagle Big Bang, and is accompanied by truly gorgeous art by motetus.

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

If the Darkness Lasts

Title: Hic si stas, hinc eris (Here you stay, here you belong)
Fandom: The Eagle
Pairing: Marcus Flavius Aquila/Esca Mac Cunoval
Categories: Drama, Post-Apocalyptic, Roadtrip, Supernatural (Zombies)
Length: Medium (4,321 words)
Warnings: Violence, Zombie Dogs

Author on LJ: frantic_allonsy (deleted)
Author Website: frantic

Author's Summary:
98 years after the zombie apocalypse, when most of the zombies have been wiped out and the humans have either gone underground or scattered out into scavenging tribes, Marcus Aquila is searching for information.

Review:
Set in a dystopian post-modern-day AU, Marcus leaves his cloistered underground home on a personal quest. Riding a motorcycle across the US, he comes upon Esca (and some zombie dogs).

Though the fic isn't very long, it has great world building and seems larger than the word-count. I also liked how the author cleverly weaves parts of The Eagle canon into the AU; Marcus saves Esca from a very different gladiatorial situation, and is on different--yet still highly personal, still potentially a pipe-dream--quest. An excellent morsel of the post-apocalyptic genre.

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

Hic si stas, hinc eras

Title: Hic si stas, hinc eris (Here you stay, here you belong)
Fandom: The Eagle
Pairing: Marcus Flavius Aquila/Esca Mac Cunoval
Categories: Drama, Post-Apocalyptic, Roadtrip, Supernatural (Zombies)
Length: Medium (4,321 words)
Warnings: Violence, Zombie Dogs

Author on LJ: frantic_allonsy (deleted)
Author Website: frantic

Author's Summary:
98 years after the zombie apocalypse, when most of the zombies have been wiped out and the humans have either gone underground or scattered out into scavenging tribes, Marcus Aquila is searching for information.

Review:
Set in a dystopian post-modern-day AU, Marcus leaves his cloistered underground home on a personal quest. Riding a motorcycle across the US, he comes upon Esca (and some zombie dogs).

Though the fic isn't very long, it has great world building and seems larger than the word-count. I also liked how the author cleverly weaves parts of The Eagle canon into the AU; Marcus saves Esca from a very different gladiatorial situation, and is on different--yet still highly personal, still potentially a pipe-dream--quest. An excellent morsel of the post-apocalyptic genre.

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

Hic si stas, hinc eras