So I've been digging through the archives of late and Pollywantsa kindly recommend this story to me and I'm glad they did its Brillant! Its so harrowing, well written and suspenseful. Nice to read a story were the action focuses on the quiter brothers and tin tin too.

Wow doesn't seem like a powerful enough word. I was convinced for a moment there that John was going to die. What a roller coaster.
I loved Tin-tin's letter from the very beginning but it's ending was more than perfect. She is so well spoken and I can just imagine her writing, her thoughts to be as beautiful as what you have written here.
Also you have no idea how pleased I was to see that Bryson did actually care. As I've said A's all round for characterisation.
Thanks for writing this amazing story.

Wow! Outstanding writing. You were right to pick this out as one of your best. What an intense story. I love the idea, the way you have constructed the story as a whole and the characters. You have captured the team perfectly and I am blown away at the construction of Bryson. At the beginning I disliked him because of his cool attitude towards IR (who I am obviously quite protective of?) but as his reasons and his personality developed I became more invested in his character and am keen to see where you take him. So very well done - again.

Hey, I just wanna say I love your writing. They are very good, accurate to the actually thing and creative! But, I have some questions I want to get clarified. Is the John older then Virgil? Because, I always thought the order of the siblings from eldest to youngest was Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan. Could you please clear this up for me? Thanks(:

Wow, I thought the first version was good but this... you made it even more breath-taking! A brilliant read, packed with wonderfully written, terrible emotions. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, worrying about the characters. You put in amazing amounts of angst and the way Tin-Tin's letter was interspersed between the scenes really added to the tension. The character of Magetti is a really good addition, the way she offers an outside opinion of the Tracy boys and Tin-Tin and empathises with them gives this story even more depth.

Altogether it is an excellent story and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Well done!

LiGi x

Even better after a second reading. I liked the background info on the two major O/C's. It seemed a lot more intense and got me worrying if John was really going to survive or not. I'm pleased he did.

Another great story from you as always. Well researched and well written. Looking forward to more from you.

ejb

oh mcj, I didn't think you could possibly outdo yourself with 'Dear John' mk 2, but you actually did. I loved the story when you wrote it for the challenge - the angst, the not-knowing, the very real possibility that one of our team could die an agonising death... it all made for a well-written, tense and emotional story.

But whoa, in its second iteration, you upped the ante, took us to the edge and nearly tipped us over. You ramped up the tension, the fear, and lordy, I really did think somebody was going to die. Talk about gut-wrenching!

Thanks for a fabulous story - I'd love to see more! Oh, and did I mention how much I loved Bryson? What a man!

Very nice ending to the piece. Not everything is wrapped up neatly and happily, but it's positive. I did think for a moment you were going to kill off John... but I'm glad you didn't.

Really liked Magetti's impressions of Jeff and Kyrano. Her thoughts about him as a younger man and the reality were nicely juxtaposed.

An excellent read, mcj, and one that I've enjoyed very much. Thanks for sharing it.

Wanted to add to what you said in your review, Pen...I'm glad you liked Magetti, too...we didn't know anything about her before because she was just a microbiologist in the suit...but now she's a three dimensional character and I really want to see more of her! Creating good OCs is very, very hard, and not all writers achieve it. And yes...I really liked that she was all tough and military but she really felt for Tin-Tin...even though she had to protect herself from getting too close by referring to her as "Kyrano."

Lovely to see this story up on ffnet so I can give it a proper review.

I really like what you've done with it; you've shaded in the character of Bryson, and I like the way you show him and how he relates to Jeff. But I the part I like best is the character of Magetti, who has gone from a faceless (because of her protective gear) nameless and sexless figure to a real person with her own backstory, thoughts and feelings. The part where she is obviously empathising with Tin Tin, even though she still has to distance herself by referring to her as 'Kyrano' is touching.

Well done for a great story!

can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve next.

Pen

This story had me by the throat from the very first section, when you find out that something has gone very, very wrong with our team. I don't want to give anything away...but it's bad, folks...something even Brains can't handle. The fear comes through so strongly that I'm afraid too, reading it...my stomach is hurting from the tension as it ramps up and up. Are they, or aren't they...? Even Jeff Tracy is out of his depth here.

Wonderful original characters, too...Colonel Bryson, who is capable of standing his ground against Jeff, not an easy feat - and Maria Magetti, the microbiologist, who I hope we get to meet again...can IR recruit her as an agent, please? Surely a microbiologist would come in useful! :-)

And Tin-Tin's letter, struggling to make sense of it all as she weaves the scenes together in a voice that reminds us a little of her father and a little of the Tracy boys, too...and yet still very much a woman afraid for her family in a very frightening situation.

I don't think I breathed until the last word. Very well done!

:-) Sam

I could just think of how it must feel to be in that place. I've been used in tests before but not for something like that. I was used one's at the age of 6 and again at the age of 15. If i had to go for tests to save lives i would gladly do it. No questions asked. Not even if they asked if i'm sure. I'll go. Saving lives is what i really want to do and if i'm used for tests then so be it. It is the only way a blind person like me could help.

I thought this story was excellent the first time around, but the changes you have made make it truly memorable. That you could make such a brilliant story from the premise you were given is astounding.

I particularly like the way you have portrayed John. You have depicted him as a strong willed, no nonsense young man. Just as he would need to be in order to act as the voice of International Rescue from Thunderbird 5. I can imagine him remaining calm and unruffled in the face of the hysterical callers he would inevitably get.

I also like the way he compares his handling of the rescue with his perception of how Scott would have done it. And you can imagine him taking it all on board and learning from his mistakes. One tends to forget that John wouldn't have the experience in the field that a military man would, and most people (myself included) have either forgotten this or never given the matter much thought.

Another wonderful story from you, thank you.

I just saw your post on TIC about reviews and decided I'd take the time to write you a review. So far you have me very intrigued. As always, your story is well thought out and a pleasure to read. Most of all I want to compliment you on the way you write John. Too many writers write him as overly emotional or so pre-occupied with the stars or TB 5 that he can't take charge of a rescue. You have captured the person I would imagine him to be, intelligent and strong willed. I look forward to the next chapter.

Great to see you posting here again, mcj! This is a fascinating story and one I look forward to following. I like the way you're blending the letter in with the scenes of what happened both at the USAMRIID and on the field. And a cliffhanger is always good!

Looking forward to the next update.