  Kits 6/16/08 . chapter 12 I'm re-reading the classics of fandom, so you'll have to forgive me if this review came out of nowhere, but I don't think I ever gave it quite this fic the praise it so richly deserves.
Everyone seems to have done a version of "how it all got started", but I think this is one of my favorites, because you have a few things that set it apart from the rest. For one, I think the comaraderie between the men is more realistic. They don't immediately like each other, there's tension stemming from capture, what will become of them, and the dissension between the different countries. You do such a wonderful job of showing Hogan leading this merry band of rag-tags, slowly turning them into a cohesive group without even realizing it. Not everyone is perfect, either, and willing to go along with the Colonel's ideas: Barclay especially struck me, because I've always wondered if there would be anyone who was not so gung-ho on the idea of a sabatoge ring.
And the detail! You don't fall back on the old gardening ruse alone to show how they get rid of the dirt, but you add in the trenches and the trouser disposal method (still one of my favorite tricks), as well as the sliding fence. We may see the escape tunnel more often, but the sliding fence was a classic.
All the characters feel perfect. Newkirk is slightly rebellious and just a tad more cynical and bitter than in the show, which rings true; LeBeau is just as passionate, Carter just as naive and eager to please; Hogan... well, just as Hogan. "Dogs and kids love me, but this is ridiculous" makes me grin no matter how many times I read it. Kinch is the most intriguing, I think. I'll be honest and say that I'm a little taken aback at how strict you portray him, particularly when dealing with Olsen and the other prisoners whenever they say something insolent to Colonel Hogan, but the more I think about it, the more natural it feels. He very gradually loosens up, to the point when you reach the scene with him holding the quarter to his eye and imitating Klink seems to come right from the show. All of the men feel more formal-snapping off salutes, standing at attention, etc., but when I thought about it, of course they would be on edge, because they haven't completely relaxed into what they're doing yet.
The interaction between is just wonderful. I can't even express it properly without repeating myself, but your characterization is just dead on. When Hogan says "those damned Yankees" and is bewildered when the Germans are shocked-and Schultz! "What would your mother say?" I can hear Schultz saying that and picture Hogan's response perfectly. The plot is utterly intriguing and believable-Hogan wouldn't be one to let a silly thing like capture keep him from doing his duty, and London taking advantage of that when he does manage to get the notebook out-but the action is interspersed with the building of their elaborate operation and these little bits of humor that keep it from being too much.
Another bit of uniqueness that for some reason, I never really picked up on-clearly it's been too long since I read this!-is that you made Colonel Hogan the younger child. I only mention it because most fanfiction paints him as the oldest, which I can see, but can't at the same time. Within my own family, my oldest brother is the most responsible and a natural leader, but he's also the most serious. For me, the youngest child is usually the one who is charming, gregarious, and a genius at getting out of sticky situations, as well as tending more to a humorous side, which seems more Hogan. So though I can see both interpretations, I tend to agree with yours more so. The scene with the two men having a snowball fight completely escaped me, but it just meant that I felt it all the more when you learned Ryan died. It tempers Hogan's natural levity some that works well within the story.
And Carter with the right/left problem! When my brother was commander of ROTC, they had a kid in Echo flight who always turned the wrong way whenever someone said "Right face". Hogan gently correcting him gets me every time. Oh, Carter.
Just reached the end. Hogan quoting Lovelace-then ending it with such a Hoganesque line just feels so appropriate. It combines the seriousness of the situation-they are volunteering to put themselves in the line of fire, without ever seeing their families-with the hilarity that is the show.
In short, I love it even more than I did when I first read it six years ago. |
| Ben Blackstone 8/26/01 . chapter 12 After reading several of your Star Trek TOS and Batman series stories, I couldn't wait to read Hogan's Heroes! What a great story! It was fun to read while picturing all the TV characters and their personalities. The one thing I missed in this story, however, was the emotional contact I had with the others, especially the Batman and Robin stories. Perhaps it is just because I am a father that those meant so much to me, but I didn't really feel the gut-wrenching fear and all the emotion that I know every soldier must suffer. Still, as I said, this was a very entertaining story and I will read them all. Thank you. |
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