I haven't been following this thread but I am assuming that people are picking their favorite 10 gen stories. I always find it hard to pick stories because I can never remember titles or authors. But this would be my selection today--and, of course, it might be different tomorrow.
Some of these stories appeared in various zines and some are available online. I did NOT give all the sources. However, the Lovett stories are NOT available online. To read her excellent stories --and I cannot praise her high enough--you have to buy a print zine and one is still in print.
Someone might want to point out the places some of these stories are available online for the ones I didn't list. To buy used zines, I always recommend Jim Rondeau's website which is http://www.mypage.onemain.com/makeitgoaway/home.htm
Various of these stories are available at Judith's site which is http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7/Library/SrchReq.cgi
1. The Road to Hell -- Suzan Lovett -- Definitely my number 1. There is no question about this at all. The rest are not in any order despite the numbering. 2. Doppleganger -- Lovett 3. Gemini Rising -- Lovett 4. Circle of Fire -- Lovett 5. Lightbridge -- Lovett ---These are all available from Judith Proctor in the zine named The Road to Hell which reprinted these stories together. Originally the stories were in Powerplay 1, Powerplay 2, and Those Who Favor Fire. 6. Game of Humanity --Sheila Paulson (and the sequel which is The Dreamers in Blake's Doubles 4. I will count these as one story.) Game of Humanity is in Probability Square and perhaps it's online at Judith's site. I'm not sure. Memory fails me again. 7. What Are Legend --Linda Terrell -- Something Unfriendly This Way Comes 1 and also at Judith's site 8. Double Duel -- Catherine Salmon -- Evasive Maneuvers (This is a gen,adult, and slash zine--with probably more slash than anything else. This, however, is a gen story-- and a wonderful one which I have reread many times. IIRC, nothing of Salmon is available online.) 9. Dupe -- Marian Mendez -- Pressure Point and Judith's site 10. Locus -- Rebecca Ann Brothers --Whomsover Holds This Sword and Judith's site
Homorable mention 11. Empire of Sand --Paulson -- Return of the Seven 3 and Judith's site 12. Rebel Quartet --Judith Proctor -- In one of the recent Avon newsletters and also at Judith's site. 13. The five part story series loosely called Avon's Story --Catherine Salmon -- Dark Between the Stars 5 (The five stories are The Longest Day, Long Day Into Night, Waking Nightmare, When the Dawn Breaks, and Sunlit Shadows.) 14. Throwing It All Away -- Leah Rosenthal and Ann Wortham -- Southern Seven 1 15. Duel, or, The Folly of Madness --Margaret Scroggs--Horizon 17
I apologize for not being able to limit it to ten. There is only one humorous story in this list and that is Throwing It All Away. It's hilarious. Scroggs's Duel is indeed a very interesting story in that it is the episode Duel done in the style of Shakespeare. I bought the zine for this one story alone and considered it money well spent. In general the writers I have listed are writers that I like and writers who write consistently good stories with great characterizations in them.
I see right now that I have left out two favorite writers of mine--Pat Fenech and Bryn Lantry. If I were a more organized person, I would search through my zines and pick a story of each of theirs that I like, but I am not that organized. I, however, do want to mention that they are favorite writers of mine and thus my list is not really set in stone. As I said, tomorrow my list could very easily differ but I am betting that most of the same 12 writers would be on it.
Joyce