Western/SF crossover: It's all part of the fan fiction universe

Earlier I needed to find out some information regarding the TV series, Alias Smith and Jones and so naturally I went to Google - I came across a vibrant site of fan fiction related to the series and I came across this story, Cut Them Off at the Pass by Drena Hills which features not only Smith and Jones but television's Doctor Who.

Any excuse for a Zena pic

A premise so way out there, that I had to read it and I enjoyed it. I was also amazed to discover just how many pieces of fan-fic Drena had written around, Smith and Jones. And the discovery set me off on a search around the web to check out the fan fiction community. What I discovered is that there is fan fiction for mostly every TV show or movie series or comic book you can imagine. From the obvious Star Trek and Dr Who to the unexpected Dallas and Dynasty. And it's not only the everyday fans but a lot of professional writers have also tried their hand at this most democratic of writing genres - for instance did you know that C S Lewis even published, what could be termed fan-fic based around Tolkein's Lord of the Rings.

The WIKI defines fan fiction thus: Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, fanon, or fic) is a broadly-defined term for stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator. Works of fan fiction are rarely commissioned or authorized by the original work's owner, creator, or publisher; also, they are almost never professionally published. Fan fiction, therefore, is defined by being both related to its subject's fictional universe while simultaneously existing outside that universe. Most fan fiction writers assume that other fans are reading their work, so their readers have knowledge of the canon universe (created by a professional writer) in which their works are based.*



The deeper you look the more you find out that amongst the mostly forgettable stories are a not inconsiderable amount of gems - well written, imaginative use of well known characters.