Fandom: MASTER AND COMMANDER
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: astolat
Author Website: Shalott's fanfic
Why this must be read:

I'm reccing this first because it makes a great introduction. This fic is just the essence of why I love Master and Commander, condensed down into a short, beautiful fic that takes my breath away every time. You hardly need to have seen the movie, even, to get this fic, although I promise that you'll appreciate it more if you have.

Shalott, as those of you who've read her work before will know, is an extremely talented author. The woman has talent, and what she does here is take something from the movie and write about it as though it's book-verse. This might sound confusing, but don't worry, it isn't. Instead, what you've got is a marvellous introduction to both worlds: the characters and the style are spot-on perfect for both versions of Patrick O'Brian's world, blurring them together so well that it shows it really doesn't matter: details be damned, the love is just the same. I'm in awe, honestly: I've hardly ever seen O"Brian's words imitated so well, or to such mindbogglingly adorable affect.

And that's the best thing about this fic, really. It's very sweet, and all about the love, and every bit of it is entirely plausible as a piece of missing canon. Gorgeous.

Played In Tune

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Wes/Spike
Author on LJ: nasty_shrew
Author Website: Look in her Memories for a list of her fics.
Why this must be read:

There isn't nearly enough Wes/Spike in this fandom to satisfy me, but luckily what we do have is very nicely written. Nasty_screw's contribution to the Schmangst Ficathon is one that makes me particularily flailing happy.

Wes and Spike are caught in an earthquake that leaves them trapped with nothing to do but wait for rescue. Inevitably, as people prone to do when faced with life or death, they start saying things they wouldn't talking about normally. Nasty_screw pulls this all off without making any of the conversation seem awkward, or unnatural. The fic's angsty without ever feeling sorry for itself and Wes and Spike are completely believable and wonderfully in character. It's well worth the read, and please don't forget to give the author some feedback!

( Excerpt )

Trapped

Fandom: MASTER AND COMMANDER
Pairing: Aubrey/Maturin
Author on LJ: keiko_kirin
Author Website: Keiko's fic
Why this must be read:

It might seem strange to rec a post-series fic when trying to introduce people to a series, but this one is just so good that I had to. Despite being Jack/Stephen, it really might as well be a continuation of canon: nothing here seems out of place or even surprising. I'm a sucker for later-in-life-they're-still-together stories, and this is the best one I've ever read in any fandom, full stop. Jack and Stephen, still being themselves when they're old. (The characterisation here is amazing, and the style and the references are both gorgeous.) We'll never get any more books by O'Brian, but for me, this is the way the series goes.

My other favourite thing here is the way it shows the complexity of the relationship - the fact that whether they're sleeping together or not isn't the important thing about their relationship. It's about more than that; much more relevant is the sheer amount of things they've been through together, the decades they've spent with each other as a constant. This fic really shows how both their lives are more complicated than that, with wives and children and each other, and in doing so manages to do justice to the complex emotional world that O'Brian created. Which is, I think, pretty damn impressive.

The Glass Portrait

Fandom: JUSTICE LEAGUE
Pairing: gen
Author on LJ: fresne
Author Website: Life Am Good
Why this must be read:
Once upon a time, there was an episode of Justice League called "A Better World," wherein the League fought with their own dark selves, the Justice Lords. The episode resonated with the writers and the fandom, so much so that it served as the phantom structure arcing over much of the next two seasons of JLU. Also, it led to a lot of amazing fanfic.

Once upon a time, there was a series called Static Shock which was to JL what Angel was to Buffy only not quite, and it detailed the adventures of one Virgil Hawkins, a teenaged boy with electrical powers. Picture if you will a fifteen year old geeky comics fan who suddenly has superpowers and occasionally gets to hang out with Batman and Superman. In one crossover, the League approached him to ask him to help power the Watchtower.

"Freefall" is a short 'fic (500 words) set in the Lorderverse in which we discover the fate of that world's Virgil. I read this story before seeing a single episode of Static Shock and it chilled me to the bone; after having inhaled the series, it still does. Fresne has a poet's gift with words and description, and what she presents here is frighteningly plausible, given what we saw in ABW.

Once upon a time, the Justice Lords needed a battery too.

Freefall

Fandom: FIREFLY
Pairing: Mal/Simon
Author on LJ: kelly_girl
Author Website: Unknown
Why this must be read:

Anyone who reads Firefly slash will probably recognize or have read works by Kelly Girl. I was surprised that this story hadn’t been recced yet. It’s refreshing and the fandom needs more long slash stories with substance.

This story is an alternate universe, set after the episode “Safe”. What if Mal hadn’t been able to return for Simon and River? This story explores one delightfully dark possibility of what could happen to Simon. Alternate Universes are not that common in Firefly, especially one with this slash pairing, well written and of its extended length. It’s a story I return to read often and I think you will enjoy it.

Excerpt: ( Read more... )

The story is written in five parts and can be accessed here:

Silent Chambers of the Soul

Fandom: MAN FROM UNCLE
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Author on LJ: Not that I know of
Author Website: Taliesin's Reach

Why this must be read:
This is one hot, hot scorcher of a story, and is one of my favorites in this fandom. Napoleon has an epiphany after a close-call, and things proceed (more or less) as you'd expect from there. I love the strong, confident and experienced Illya, and Napoleon's temporary uncertainty and vulnerability is very touching.

( Read more... )

This is a fun romp, a real comfort read for me.
With A Bang

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.