Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: None
Author on LJ:
Author Website: Wilhelmina's other SW fic can be found here
Why this must be read:

There are two decades intra-trilogy for authors to explore, particularly in the early lives of the original trilogy heroes. This fic explores life on Tatooine for a young Luke and his earliest meetings with a crazy old hermit. It shows a cautious Owen, an Obi-Wan Kenobi trying to make the best of a self-imposed exile and a curious Luke. After a hold-up in Anchorhead Obi-Wan must decide whether to use the Force or whether to hide completely. It really inspires sympathy for the Lars' - the danger they were in for twenty years for looking after Luke. It's very apparent how these people will grow into those we see in ANH.

( Read extract... )

The Wizard of the Jundland Wastes

Fandom: OZ
Pairing: Beecher/Keller
Author on LJ: rileyc
Author Website: Riley Cannon's Fanfiction at Unit B
Why this must be read:

One of my favorite authors wrote this canon-based AU piece during a spin on the Oz Lyric Wheel. It's a "duet" of two lovers trying to keep their connection -- over phone lines and under impossible circumstances. One moment it's full of sunshine and ice cream. Then there's the pang of despair in the lovers' seemingly hopeless situation -- Toby paroled and Chris forever imprisoned. Riley C.'s writing presents the voices and descriptions in ways that make us see and hear these two men as they range through their emotions.

Here's a sample:


[Toby] heard a rumble of thunder off in the distance, "it's getting ready to rain, but it was beautiful earlier. The sky was so clear and blue, it was like I'd never seen it before."

"I'll bet," Chris [said]. "Tell me how the sun felt on your skin."

He closed his eyes, remembering. "Good, it felt ... good. Warm and rich, like it was seeping right into my skin." He looked into the mirror, seeing himself stretched out on that bunk, knees raised and spread wide, hands gripping Chris' broad back as his lover pounded into him. "It felt like making love with you," he murmured into the phone, a sharp intake of breath making him worry he'd said too much. "Chris--" God, I miss you.

Chris sighed, and Toby imagined him closing his eyes and leaning his head against the phone for a second. "Babe, you're makin' this hard."


Read on, and enjoy your Sunday in the Afternoon

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: John/Aeryn
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: None that I know of
Why this must be read:

After having given you one of RSR's trips into weirdsville, and intending to give you some truly brain bending POV's next week, I thought I'd give you all a little palate-clearing respite. On the surface, this fic might seem just a little too normal for it to be one of my recs, and an outright violation of the theme I said I was adhering to. It's a nice little slice of bittersweet John/Aeryn from season two, bereft of any heavy-duty angst, though not without the finely tuned sense of irony that fate seems to have in for these two.

However, those reading closer might recognize that it is in fact a re-telling of a rather famous short story that nearly everybody and their dog was assigned to read for English class at one point or another. In fact, if you've paid attention to the title, and are familiar with the way the course of John and Aeryn's relationship tends to go, you may even already know which one.

What truly makes this fic stand out is that it still manages to sneak up on you, that even if you know how this one plays out you dare to hope it might be different. It's also a wonderful examination of "the great apocalyptic love story" that is John/Aeryn through the eyes of one of the many aliens that exist in the background of the Farscape universe, who ends up affected in his own small way by the great saga going on.

( I don't usually get so depressing but ... it's Christmas. )

Go, read, and give CrystalMoon an early Christmas gift by telling her what you thought.

Home for Christmas: A Perfect Gift

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Pairing: Duncan/Methos/Kronos
Author on LJ: sparklebutch
Author Website: The Glitter Jungle

Why this must be read: Short answer: because it's bloody funny. Slightly longer answer: It's crack!fic of the best kind, with porn and humour. Because you'll never hear the line, 'We ride' again without smiling. Everytime I read this story I find something new to laugh about. Adam's done a wonderful job of taking some of the best-known lines from 'Comes a Horseman' and 'Revelations 6:8' and turning them onto their exceedingly amusing flipsides.

( Just one giggle... )

Essays, Speeches and Public Letters

Fandom: LOTR
Pairing/Characters: Faramir/Boromir, Denethor
Author on LJ: aesc
Author Website: http://www.ontheqt.org/nc/
Why this must be read:

This is one of the most beautifully written Faramir/Boromir stories out there. The author has a philologist's feel for words and knows how to use them in recreating the atmosphere of Minas Tirith. Indeed, all of her stories have an elegaic quality, and her awareness of and love for stories like Beowulf stands her in good stead when following in Tolkien's footsteps. In this story, five chapters in length, we follow the two brothers who are concealing their greatest secret (incest) from a father, Denethor, who is already possessed by the Palantir. All the characters are well-drawn, even the Rohirrim who appear early on. But the story is really less about fighting the war than about the intensity of family conflict. As aesc says, "The bitterest wars can be fought among kin," and this story takes us into the minds of all three men, on the eve of battle, when no words spoken are as simple as what they appear to be. Everything is thought then re-thought, spoken then weighed and recalculated through the tripled lens of family, honor, Gondor.

There are so many stunning parts of this story that I could excerpt--Faramir speaking Rohirric with one of the men from Rohan, Boromir caught in his father's dreams of familial glory, Faramir's near-capitulation to Denethor's plans in the garden, each of them alive with Tolkien flavor. But to choose only one excerpt...in the second of the five story segments. Denethor has announced that Osgiliath must be retaken, and Boromir goes to find his brother to ask for his support. They argue, briefly, about the wisdom of retaking the city, but Faramir is brooding about more than just the upcoming battle. He has begun to dream and, worse, fear the future beyond Osgiliath.
( Read more... )

Read the entire story HERE.