Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Ad Astra Per Aspera by Becky Bain - December Fanfic Club Discussion ***Spoilers***

Discuss Ad Astra Per Aspera by Becky Bain here.

I apologize, but I didn't read this month's long story. I couldn't find the will to get past the author's warning to make it to the first word:

Sorry, Becky, I need hope and a happily-ever-after to propel me through the hard times and you warned me there wasn't any.

I could never read this story, too. Years ago I started to read it but since the beginning it was so sad that I couldn't keep going. I skimmed over most of it but even the little bits I read made me feel so very depressed that I felt bad for days afterwards and decided that I wouldn't try it again. I can stand a tearjerker, but I need to glimpse a happy ending to get me through the drama.

Where do I begin? This story was so very daring and different. Most definitely not for those who want to see Clark and Lois happy and with a family. Not at all for the faint of heart.

The fic starts off with Tom Warren political writer slowly falling in love with a very lonely Lois Lane, pining away for her fiancee, the missing Clark Kent.

It was sad and I wanted to cry in some places. Martha had grown old waiting to see her son again. Jonathan was dead and a new man - not Clark - is running the Kent homestead.

But the saddest thing of all was that Clark's personality changed completely to work towards bring a fragile peace to a fractured society. He allowed his son to be bonded to his future mate rather than let the boy make his own choice. A cruel custom which crushed forever Clark's hopes and dreams of sharing life with the woman he loved. No wonder Lois was angry. Clark had no right to defend such a custom.

All of this because one spoiled nobleman felt he had the right to rule and was willing to destroy a civilization rather than let someone else rule it.

It always galled me that Nor caused all this grief and the Kryptonian culture was so tradition bound they could not stop him from starting a civil war on New Krypton.

But in the end Lois and Clark both got what they needed. Closure.

I did eventually read this story but if I remember correctly, I skimmed a lot of the story up until Lois introduced her BF to the Kents and then skimmed forward a little further to when Kal-El and Zara's child were fostered with Lois and her husband. I enjoyed all of these scenes and while the end was poignant it was difficult to read at the same time.

I read this story a long time ago. It was the first one that ever made me cry. I know the author put the warning at the beginning, but the whole time I read it, I kept waiting for L&C to be together.

Very well written story, though. I thought it was quite realistic, even if it was sad.

Although I must make a reply to the comment about Clark's son being married as a baby. To us, it sounds barbaric. Clark's life was ripped apart because of that custom. However, a boy growing up in that culture would have a different take. It was normal to him. He knew who he'd marry, so it wasn't as big a deal as it was for Clark. He would never have fallen in love with another girl, because he knew who his wife would eventually be.

I was a little scared about what I might be in for when I read that warning at the beginning, too, but I managed to read the story from beginning to end. Sad stories like this that keep Lois and Clark apart from each other aren't the types of stories I'd read regularly, but I did think this one was really well written.

The earliest parts of the story made me really feel for Lois, but I'm glad that Lois at least eventually managed to have some type of a life after Clark. Tom seemed like a nice man, and I was glad that she was able to have some bit of happiness by being married to him and having a son with him.

I really felt even sorrier for Clark, though. It seems like he was destined to never fall in love again, and it's terrible that he will likely never return to Earth and see his loved ones there ever again.

I did really like that Lois continued to have a relationship with Martha and Jonathan even after marrying Tom, though. That Lois didn't drift away from them after her marriage really shows how strong their bond was.

I can understand not wanting to read this tale. I first read it years ago but only after someone else on the boards praised it so highly that I decided to read it in spite of the warning.

It is very well done, Lois grows as a person and we get to see it.

Well worth reading.

I felt that this story was more realistic on what may have happened if Clark had gone to New Krypton. The series brought him back immediately and resolved the issues. I always thought that the entire New Krypton arc should have never happened. It had no place in the story line of the series. It seemed like filler to me. But the story has remained in my memory over the years, was very well written, and tackled the issues that would have occurred if this had happened much better than the series did.

Just as a historical aside, the reason the Krypton Arc seems so pointless in many ways is because it suffered from Exec interference during the hiatus. The original plans were for a huge event, in which Clark would indeed have been gone for several months. It was planned to be a mini-movie, in essence.

But the studio balked at the cost and demanded it be pared back considerably and that Clark got back to earth ASAP, hence the abrupt turnaround.

LabRat

Didn't know this had been a tagged one for discussion, but I'm glad there's somewhere to come in and leave a review! I just read this one tonight, and I am absolutely bawling.

It's wonderfully written, but oh my gosh it was hard to get through. Lois's distress at letting Clark go actually made my stomach clench, and then when Kyr-El showed up I was so worried about Clark that it's probably the only reason I didn't feel like bashing his head in when he did show up again. But I'm just crying away at the ending, and I almost NEVER cry reading stories. On the other hand, there's a masochistic part of myself that is also wondering about Clark's side of the story, and what he went through when he realized that he really would have to stay and have children with Zara, and give up any hope of returning to Lois. It's one thing to realize circumstances have left you behind, as Lois did, but to be the one to actually face making that DECISION, to stay and leave her behind… it's beyond my imagination.

Kudos to the author for putting together a well-crafted story, but don't take it wrong when I say I don't think I could make it through a re-read!