Lady Kate has done a brilliant job of extrapolating events surrounding the episode When Fates Collide to re-form around her favorite character, the God of War. Although Xena in this world is the Mistress of the the God of War, he finds all is not as perfect as he first imagines. The rest of the Greek Gods are once again alive and remember what part Ares played in their deaths, and very determined to not let him make the same decisions again. Being called Lord Mars is the least of his dissatisfaction when he realises that Gabrielle was right, that ‘the Warrior Princess he loved was the one who had channeled her fire and rage into self-sacrificing heroics, into fighting against him and atoning for everything she had done in his service’.

With the other Gods watching his every move, he is forced to work with Gabrielle to return everything to what it once was, even if it means being returned to that tumble down farm as a mortal again, and losing the woman he loves to another.

Despite portraying an Ares with a conscience, a Gabrielle filled with distrust and Xena as a noble woman, the character’s true natures shine through in this excellent story.

An Amazon chooses to leave the land of her birth to follow her lover, a crusader captured on Amazon lands, when he is freed to return to his home. Their Daughter stands at the portal of two worlds not willing to step fully into either one until a dark assassin comes calling. And the rest, at least in Dawn Lamanne's "Amazon Awakenings," is history.

Lariel is a master at surprises as well as setting. No matter how many times I read this, and I've read this piece many times, I still feel the cold dampness as if it were soaking through my own coat. I can feel the rain, the roughness of the stone, and Emmy's heartbreak at her situation. Most of this short story is dialogue. It's natural, everyday language, and well done. Lariel lures the reader into a false sense of expectation, and lets us make a conclusion about the outcome of the meeting on the bridge. But you're in for a surprise. By the time you have finished reading "Deep, Black Water" you'll think twice about Sara. This is a character driven story with realistic dialogue, a simple setting and atmosphere that you can't help but feel. Lariel has delivered a tale with a power packed ending and characters you feel for, proving once again that she really is more talented than she'll admit to.

Kristien Damon’s fluid style and emotion-filled text is a pleasure to read. Believers in enduring love won't be disappointed.

The plot is simple enough. Xena and Gabrielle encounter an old acquaintance of Xena's, a king with designs on a prosperous nearby town. A town which Xena herself, in her warlord days, had tried unsuccessfully to sack, and where she's not likely to be welcomed as she tries to warn them of the impending danger. Aided by an unlikely bunch of cohorts, Xena and Gab formulate a very unusual plan - one that hinges upon an obscure linguistic detail - to save the city.

Along with Lollius's clear style and tongue-in-cheek attitude, what some readers will find especially appealing about this little story is how their mission depends upon Gab and Xena both using their time-honored bard and warrior skills in a nicely egalitarian fashion.

Lorelei does a wonderful job of taking us through the days and nights of these two officers while showing us how their lives slowly intertwine causing them to become reliant on one another. While letting the main relationship develop, Lorelei also creates a story that encompasses outside relationships with friends and family, evoking an atmosphere that has a wonderful sense of comfort and belonging.