Dan Snyder had, in my mind, established himself as a fanfic author of note with his earlier works like the under-rated 'Evangelion: Damnation' and the more prominent 'Symphony for the Devil' and 'Sariel'. His credibility has been further strengthened by being an active and eminently helpful member of the EFML community. To me, Fane is his magnum opus, that confirms, beyond doubt, his status a BNA (Big Name Author) in NGE fanfic.

When the Fane project was first announced, I found myself to be skeptical. An Utena/Eva fusion fanfic? I had serious doubts as to whether it could be done and done well. Before her retirement, Joyce Wakabayashi had written a one-shot fusion, 'Revolutionary Girl Asuka' with Rei in Anthy's position, but the idea was not pursued further beyond that one chapter. Well, those doubts have been dispelled and Fane represents one of the best NGE elseworlds in progress. I feel that it will give top dog series 'Children of an Elder God' a serious run for its money in the categories of darkfic and fusion/x-over.

The NGE cast has been transplanted into a Utena-like setting and the success of this formula has been how innovatively the various characters and plot lines are explored amidst a situation manifestly different from, but yet similar to the canonical NGE anime and manga universes. Fane feels true to both RGU and NGE, yet is definitely its own story and carries that elusive ring of 'authenticity'.

Many Utena devices work surprisingly well with the NGE cast and devices. The Seal of the Living Rose, the shadow of Gendo, Rei's seeming passivity, the plots and the plots within them, the eerie undeath of Yui, the manic musing of the Magi, Shinji's trials and trivails. Who is the ultimate puppet master pulling the strings? What is the real nexus of power? The feeling of mystery, conspiracy, and apocalypse hang thick in the air. The violence of Shinji's rage, paralleling Unit-01's berserk rampages, horrifies and appalls but Shinji continues to remain a sympathetic character.

The author is also unafraid to introduce, obliquely, large themes like nature, man and revolution - which is fitting as large, ominous ideas are prominent in both NGE and RGU. The first release batch of Chapters 1-7 were mainly introductory, inducting us into this new universe. Chapters 8-13 saw considerable advancement of the plot and development of character relations, especially between Shinji and Rei with the former settling more into the flow of life in Feuervogel Academy. I was particularly impressed by the effectively written and used homage to Kurosawa Akira's 'Rashomon' in Chapter 8. Chapter 14-18 sees the larger arcs and plots beyond the Student Council being revealed in some small fashion. Characters like Asuka, Touji, Kaji and Misato are explored to greater depth as well.

A joy to read. And to conclude, I offer a whimsical note from Jie Yu, lunatic of Chu, who went to Kong Fu Zi's (Confucius) gate, singing: 'Pheonix! O Pheonix! How thy virtue has faded! The future cannot be awaited, nor the past reclaimed. When the whole world has the Tao, the sage can succeed. When the whole world has lost the Tao, the sage can just survive. At a time like this, we are lucky if we can escape punishment. Happiness is as light as a feather, but who knows how to hold it? Misfortune is heavier than the very earth, but who knows how to escape it? Give up, give up teaching people Virtue! ... I go on my way, walking crookedly, to preserve my feet from harm!...'