Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: inlovewithnight
Author Website: Exaggeration and Blank Verse
Why this must be read:
Getting inside the head of Shepherd Book isn't the easiest task, considering the character's enigmatic hooks. Short, but beautiful in observations of each member of the crew going about their daily tasks, a unique take on Book's own intentions in the early days aboard Serenity, towards his fellow shipmates and God, and achingly sympathetic towards all, as it progresses.

( Excerpt )

Whoring After Strange Gods

Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry/Ron/Hermione
Author on LJ: kassrachel
Author Website: slash scribblings
Why this must be read:

Well. Not only do I particularly love this OT3, but this story has that sense of could-only-happen-in-fanfiction that I love so much. It's Harry's birthday, and all Ron and Hermione sent him was a dream.

There was a pause before Hermione spoke again. "So what do you want to do? We've got all night."

Ron snickered. Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron--"

What the hell; it was a dream. He could have whatever he wanted. It was his birthday, after all, or close enough.

Harry hesitated, then plunged forward. "I want to go to bed with both of you."

Silence.

Dream

Fandom: STARSKY AND HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky and Hutch (gen)
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:

Because it is smart and twisty and every word counts.

This is one of those backwards and forward kind of stories, in which the author gives you plenty of clues, but you need that final critical clue (which in this case comes about halfway through) for everything to snap into place and give you that sense of, "ah-hah!"

It's the kind of story you'll want to read at least twice.

Shalot's Mirror

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (OW LB AU)
Pairing: N/A
Author on LJ: Not that I know of
Author Website: None (fics can be found at Blackraptor)
Why this must be read:

As you've probably figured by now, in the Magnificent Seven fandom we're all about our sandboxes, or the different AUs available. The perhaps second biggest AU behind the ATF AU is the combined Little Britches (LB) AUs; this is another sandbox that exists in both the Old West and ATF AUs. In this case, we have the accepted beginning of the OW Lil' Britches Universe, where JD and Vin are cousins sent west on the Orphan Train and find themselves in Four Corners.

( This one is gonna be a handful )

The Train West

Fandom: LOST
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: corellianjedi
Author Website: none
Why this must be read:

Josh Holloway himself has been quoted several times saying his inspirations for Sawyer come from a hyrbrid of Wolverine and Han Solo. This fic shows us just how much Sawyer and Han really have in common. Cute, poignant, and a wonderful Sawyer character study.

I Have a Bad Feeling About This

And I'm back with more MSR! I do promise to get to the slash sometime this month. :)

Fandom: X-FILES
Pairing: Mulder/Scully
Author on LJ: No LJ, as far as I know.
Author Website: JennyAnne's Fanfiction (Jennifer Lyon) and THE PORTAL (Suzanne Bickerstaffe)
Why this must be read:

This story is an AU without being an AU.

Have you ever had the desire to see Mulder as a Mage? Wanted a good fic where Scully is Healer with magical powers? Don't want to sift through horrible AUs with no appreciation for the original characters? This is the fic for you. Scully and Mulder are still Scully and Mulder, FBI agents, but they're transported to an alternate realm where magical powers are commonplace. Both must adjust to their new lives. All the fun of an AU with none of the hassle.

The prose is a little irritating at first, I thought, but the plot is irresistible. It's also long, so leave yourself time to read, as I've found it to be an addicting fic.

The Magician

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (LB ATF AU)
Pairing: N/A
Author on LJ: Not that I know of
Author Website: None, (fic can be found at Blackraptor)
Why this must be read:

Since I'm trying to introduce as many of the AUs as possible, I can't leave out the Little Britches (LB) ATF AU. This works on the same premise as the OW LB AU, that JD and Vin were young children when they met and joined the others. In this case, they're found by Chris during what should be a routine search of a warehouse for gun runners.

( Freeze! )

Dreaming of Angels

Title: Touch
Fandom: Star Trek: The Next Generation/Star Trek Voyager
Pairing: Picard/Janeway
Author on LJ: seemag
Author Website: Unbound
Why this must be read:

Early on in Voyager I was very much a fan of Janeway/Chakotay but after Resolutions it felt to me like the show would only regress if it went in that direction so for a very long time after that I didn't have read a lot of romantic Janeway fiction then I watched Nemesis and saw a spark between the newly-promoted Admiral and Picard. Intrigued, I went looking for Janeway/Picard and then found seemag's. It's a *treat* and the dynamic between them is just...it's got a rarified quality to it that is unparalleled and Seema's is among the best.

Touch

Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: hmpf
Author Website: all about hmpf
Why this must be read: The episode "Terra Firma," unsurprisingly, has inspired a lot of fic, some of it extremely good. But this one... This one is a standout among the standouts. It captures perfectly the strangeness and sadness of Crichton returning home only to discover that normality itself has become almost unbearably weird, that he's changed more than he's realized and more than he can possibly expect anyone to understand. The writing is poignant, evocative, and beautiful. I had tremendous difficulty deciding on an extract to quote from here; as I was re-reading, I kept coming across passages that would make me exclaim, "Oh, yes, that's perfect! It's wonderful writing, full of character insight, and encapsulates exactly what the story is about. I'll use that!" And then, a couple of paragraphs later, I'd be thinking the same thing all over again. In the end, I decided just to quote from the beginning. You can read the rest for yourself.

( excerpt )

And, oh, yes, did I mention it's got a terrifically characterized Crichton, complete with pop culture references used to excellent effect? Because it does. Really, I'm convinced the only reason this hasn't been recced here yet is because it's a fairly recent fic and I was lucky enough to get here first.


Normal

Fandom: THE PROFESSIONALS
Pairing: Bodie/Cowley
Authors on LJ: Not any more, alas!
Authors Website: Jane Carnall's site At least I think it's here because I was unable to find the home page and the real title if there is one.

Why this must be read

If there was no other reason, to get another take of the theme already treated in the previous recced story, for it's exactly the same topic, in another background, but with the same stake and the same players but one (Doyle is left outside). Actually this story could more rightly be given the title: The Devil and George Cowley; This time the fight is really between the Controller and the Prince of Darkness, for the possession of Bodie's soul.

I have a proposal for you. Are you a gambling man?"

"No."

"A pity. I had a wager in mind that I thought might interest you." (...) spread his hands. "A game of...chess, I think. For double or nothing; if I win, your soul as well as Bodie's; if I lose, I'll give you Bodie. All of him: body and soul."

There was a long, stretched pause. Cowley could not take his eyes from (...)'s opaque face, though he wanted to look at Bodie; "Done," he said at last.

I suppressed the Devil's name on purpose, because it's a nice idea from the authors, well worth to be discovered in the text.

Once again the Master of triple think is to be the winner of the challenge; how could it be otherwise? The charm of the story is not in its expected outcome but in its setting (a strange mix between realistic and fantastic) and its clever dialogs. Not to speak of some slashy undertones:

"You're a damned brave old bastard," Bodie said, and Cowley grinned.

"Ach, I hope not."

"You could have lost--everything."

Cowley was still holding Bodie's hand; he let their eyes meet. "Not so much as you think. And now; you belong to me."

Alas, alas, alas, the enticing promises of this piece are not held in the sequel, The Price of a Soul by Jane Carnall, where an unwelcome (for me, and no, it's not Doyle) intruder comes in and spoils the whole picture. What to say? nothing is perfect. But read it anyway; only the fanatic B/C lovers like me will complain.

Hell Hath No Fury