"Xena: The Blood of the Beast" by Ray Antonio, posted by Dungeon Master (dungeon@dngnbbs.com). Guest Review by Piper.

What happens when you mix Xena, a corrupt government, slavers, evil warlords, a kidnapped princess, some wizards, and a fortress floating on the back of a giant turtle? You get madness, mayhem, and a story worthy of becoming a movie of the week.

This is the last, the longest, and the best of this batch of Xena stories. It's almost as long as all the others put together. At the same time, it's as good as all the others put together.

The author states that this story is set after Hercules defeats Xena and puts her on the path to goodness, and before Xena meets Gabrielle and gains a traveling companion. So, no Gabby. Instead, Xena hooks up with one of the kidnapped princess's personal guard. He's young, tall, well-built, and good looking (of course). He's also striking out on his own to try and rescue the princess. Naturally, Xena decides to help out.

Technically, this is a very tight story. I was hard-pressed to find any typos or misused words. Even the English usage, while sometimes not as sharp as it could be, is still better than the average a.s.s. posting. The only thing this story lacks is a lot of sex. What there is fits in well with the plot and storyline, and in my opinion, forcing more in would actually intrude. There is lots of sexual situations and innuendo, of course, and a fair dollop of NC stuff (what else would you expect from slavers) to keep you titillated. This lack, in my opinion, is not a deficiency for this story. Instead, there is detail, plot, character development, angst, anticipation, and fun. A great read for people who happen to like adventure stories that actually contain story.