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The Silent One

by Julia Doty (link)

Genre drama/angst, suspense
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 25 chapters
Status Unfinished (unauthorized sequel to The Quiet One)

There are a few hanfics out there that have inspired unauthorized sequels, but I have to say this is the first sequel I’ve seen for The Quiet One, which seems quite complete on its own. Even before I had actually read it I was intrigued by this sequel; now that I have read it, I’m not so sure it’s possible for any sequel not written by Krystal to live up to it, but The Silent One comes about as close as an unauthorized sequel could be expected to.

The Silent One begins, as one might expect, with the revelation that Harris has escaped from prison. Not surprisingly, Taylor soon finds himself kidnapped again, although Harris inexplicably isn’t responsible this time. Even more unbelievably, although a quick googling tells me it isn’t medically impossible, Taylor returns from said kidnapping with his voice intact. I know, I don’t usually provide such big spoilers, but what else did anyone expect from a sequel to such an iconic story but a story that tried to fix everything?

Of course, it can’t be all smooth sailing, and soon a third kidnapping follows. A certain little not-so-yappy dog plays a role in that one, with the narration even hopping into his head briefly. That might seem odd, but it’s strangely fitting with Krystal’s original, sarcastically distanced narration. Although Julia’s writing isn’t quite up to her standards, with some awkward phrasing and missing words, the effort to mimic Krystal’s style is clear and when it works, it really works. The Quiet One is one of my favorite fics ever, so it’s hard to convince me that a sequel was really necessary, but The Silent One is a decent homage to the original. Unfortunately, the final chapter was never posted, but I think we can all assume a happy ending.

Review by Bethany (website)