Fandom: LORD OF THE RINGS
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: zarahemla
Author Website: Zara Hemla
Why this must be read: A dark tale of obsession and race conflict, with an unusual AU premise that unravels slowly as protagonist and reader penetrate deeper. Based on the events of The Hobbit.

I don’t want to spoil the story for you, so I’ll just quote the beginning:

"At night, under the Mountain, the old ones would tell tales of the Shire. Frodo, together with his friends Merry, Pippin, Fredegar, and Sam, would cluster 'round the gaffers and beg for a story. The gaffers, who were not spared the hard work of mining, would give a token protest, but would always start talking after only a few pleading words."

King under the Mountain

Fandom: BLAKES 7
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/altariel1/
Author Website: Hungerford Bridge
Why this must be read: This is a fandom domain which had very much an ensemble cast, a fact that is sometimes forgotten in fan fiction. This fic uses the ensemble beautifully. It's a "missing scene" from the episode Rumours of Death, in which Avon allows himself to be captured and tortured for five days to lay hands on a Federation operative and get his revenge for the supposed death of his girlfriend. We get to see the thoughts of his crewmates on the matter, and learn more about them in the process. The best missing scenes add to the canon, and this one comes up with a brilliant explanation of why Cally is so antagonistic to Avon's plans.

Five Days

Fandom: THE WEST WING
Pairing: none; CJ gen-fic
Author on LJ: tangleofthorns
Author Website: spark
Why this must be read:

This is a look at a strong woman under immense pressure, and almost ready to crack -- CJ in all her contradictions and all her glory and shame, defined by the silences surrounding her words, summed up in a short, beautiful story.

Violet has an amazing ability to effortlessly get inside CJ’s skin and let us see the desperation and vulnerability she’s feeling in the wake of the MS scandal and her own missteps afterward, the way her belief in the job, and Bartlet, and herself is shattered, and how she is holding together, barely.

Two quick quotes:

Silence can be threatening, but sometimes she cannot stand any more spoken words.

Though she talks all day long, there are infinite things she cannot say.

CJ's world is built and destroyed by words every day, and this story understands the power of language to do that, and the people who wield it.

Tamburitza Lingua by violet

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing:  Aeryn/D'Argo
Author on LJ: shaye
Author Website:http://skywithoutstars.net/candles/
Why this must be read:

This pairing is an odd one for Farscape. I'm not entirely sure that there is any other example of Aeryn/D'Argo, and Shaye makes it work because she takes the story, the evolution of the story, to it's natural conclusion and leaves us aching for everyone.

The story can be considered AU, or Futurefic, but it's a glaringly possible reality for all of these characters. Shaye hauntingly and skillfully takes the mistakes, the obsessions and the dreams of Aeryn, of John, of D'Argo and projects them forward, answers the question of "What happens when all of this madness and love and destruction catches up to these people?"

This is a story about loss, about what happens next, and the ways that we love each other, the way we love our friends and our children and our lovers and how we figure out how to do what is necessary.

 
From Hinterlands

Fog clung heavily to their fields before the sun rose. D'Argo carried the weight of loss on his shoulders, and spent mornings scanning the misty horizon, looking for those who had left them behind. Jothee's absence was as keen a loss as Lo'laan's death. He couldn't put these losses aside, couldn't come to terms with how he'd failed them. Aeryn and her daughter couldn't take away that sting.

Aeryn supposed he might be on the watch for Chiana, but she would likely come back to them dead rather than alive. She'd known exactly what kind of risk she was taking when she ran away to join her brother. D'Argo spoke of her proudly, but Aeryn knew he'd rather think of her in terms of regret. Lost chances.

Aeryn never watched the horizon. Her dead were with her still, every moment. They looked back at her from her daughter's face. Her mother mocked her maternal regard, and John poured out love and admiration. And if he ever did make the long journey up the path from the village, he wouldn't be returning from the dead. He would be real, and tangible, and deadly. It was much better to look forward, to keep marching ahead. If she looked behind she might stumble.

There were no ghosts allowed in their home. D'Argo had to keep his outside.

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: not applicable (gen)
Author on LJ: hawkmoth
Author Website: Hawkmoth's Firefly Fan Fiction
Why this must be read:

Moth shows an enormous talent for capturing each character's voices, as well as setting up a plot that feel utterly believeably, paced beautiful, with twists and turns that will make you gasp, and possibly cry. I can't say much more without spoiling 9and trust me--you wanna go into this one blind), but I can say that it's ultimately a hugely satisfying read, and feels utterly plausible.

Turn of the Wheel

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Wash/Zoe, Wash/f
Author on LJ: scrunchy
Author Website: scrunchy.net
Why this must be read:

scrunchy nails Wash, and provides a backstory that feels 100% true to the character and the 'verse. From the origin of Wash's dinos and wacky shirt collection, to the Evil Mustache, to his and Zoe's courtship, it's a delight. At turns both touching, poignant, and amusing, it's one of the ultimate Wash stories. A must read.

Home Again

Fandom: ALIAS
Pairing: Will/Vaughn
Author on LJ: cherryice
Author Website: Cherry Bombs
Why this must be read:

This is mild slash, Vaughn POV. The writing is lyrical and exquisite. Every word is meaningful and in its proper place. A short piece that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.

There are two beds in your apartment. Two separate living spaces, almost. The second bed doesn’t have springs that could slit your throat or lumps that crick your neck. A misplaced pillow here, a blanket left over the arm of a chair, a bed always too neatly made, and inside of two weeks you’re sure Will is sleeping on the couch.

You think of the things the psychiatrists pulled from his head, the dreams and the manhandling of his mind, the thing snuggled carefully against his chest (the woman he never had but thought he did), and you don’t wonder that Will can’t sleep in a bed.

Anon, Anon

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Benton Fraser
Author's Website: http://www.trickster.org/res/
Author on LJ: resonant8

Why this must be read:

It's difficult to know where to begin rec'ing Resonant. Every single due South fiction she's written is wonderful. Resonant has an absolutely masterful command of the due South voices - Fraser and Ray in particular, but also the minor characters like Thatcher and Turnbull. She's one of the best smut writers out there, bar none - her sex scenes are invariably hot, with feeling and depth and a real sense of character and an amazing attention to detail. Her fics are often interestingly and carefully constructed, and they're amazingly "organic" - though you might realize intellectually the effort that went into constructing them, you're not really aware of it when reading. She makes it seem easy, inevitable, natural, seamless - she fools the reader into thinking, oh, that's not a big deal, I could have done it, of course the scenes flowed in that order!

Sixteenth of June is a great illustration of this, and though it's not as often recommended as some of Resonant's fics, in my view it's one of the most universally appealing. The story plays on the concept of anniversaries, both good and bad, and the meanings we give to important dates in the past - as well as the creation of new "important dates" in our presents. It's written from Fraser's first person POV. Each section is devoted to the events on a particular date during Fraser's first year with Ray Kowalski. Through the progression of the year we see the development of their relationship from tentative friendship through love, and though the meaning of the events on any given day is not always immediately apparent on first reading, in hindsight it's easy to see - and marvel at! - how carefully and expertly Resonant builds the story, how each date's events are like blocks, which individually aren't necessarily that significant but which fit together to create a brilliant and coherent whole. It's truly remarkable.

And even within each particular date, the attention to detail is just amazing. Resonant is a true master at "showing not telling," at filling stories with wonderful little touches and images that, though they individually might not seem that important, combine to bring the characters to life and illustrate their feelings without any unnecessary exposition. Like this fantastic passage, from early in the story:

"April is the cruelest month," the old gentleman intoned from the back seat of the GTO, handcuffs rattling as he clasped his hands and turned his eyes heavenward.

"Unless you're the IRS," Ray called over his shoulder. "Who are probably also gonna want a word with you, DuSable, unless you been reporting the money you made from selling fake Lotto tickets, which excuse me if I kinda doubt."

"You have no poetry in your soul," the counterfeiter said. "I'll bet the constable understands."

"Breeding lilacs out of the dead land," I answered. Here in Chicago it was too early for lilacs, but through the window I could see blooms on a number of trees whose names I had not yet learned. "A blossom on a bare branch, before the leaves return, is a potent image of hope," I said. "And at times hope can be very painful."

Ray looked at me as if he were astonished to find that he agreed with me. "It is, isn't it," he said. "It's like, it's like, what's that thing where they cut your arm off but your fingers still hurt?"

"That's a ... unique way of looking at it, Ray."

"No, he has a very good analogy," Mr. DuSable said.

"Thanks," Ray said. "Everybody says that. I take after my mother's side."

Wow.

Sixteenth of June is a very understated fic. It's perhaps not Resonant's funniest or sexiest or plottiest. There's nothing extravagent or "exciting" about it; it's gentle and slowly paced. But it's sweet, tender, moving, and, at various times sad, funny, hopeful, loving, and hot. All in all a lovely, delightful fic, and a great place to start reading Resonant (and let me warn you, once you start it's hard to stop!).

Sixteenth of June

Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Grissom/Catherine
Author on LJ: tangleofthorns
Author Website: sparkgirls
Why this must be read:

Grissom/Catherine (sometimes called Gil/Catherine, because she's the only one who regularly calls him by his first name) is the other most popular het pairing in CSI fandom. They're old friends, and are often paired together on cases. She often seems to be the only one who's really willing to stand up to him (although other characters have, just not consistently) and he has a rather large blind spot where she's concerned.

(okay, so I'll admit, I'm not a big Catherine fan. Moving on...)

Personal bias toward Grissom/Sara fully conceded, this fic makes me believe in Grissom/Catherine. It's backstory, spliced with current events, that shows two people growing together, all jagged edges and unsettled pieces. It's not really a romance, but it does have a happy ending of sorts.

It's also some gorgeous writing, with a keen eye toward dialogue and the interactions among the other members of the night shift - you get a real sense of teamwork between Grissom and Catherine, and in the short scenes they're in, Nick, Sara, Warrick, and Greg.

I also especially enjoy Grissom's personality evolution, from the rough-edged doctoral candidate to the still introverted but polished scientist.

And clearly I suck at summarizing this, so just go, read, enjoy.

First line: One time, she had left him. It wasn't because of a fight. They hadn't even really been lovers then, but she'd left him anyway.

All The Way To Reno