A wizardly boarding school -- two young rivals, one from a privileged background, the other poor -- an Everyman sidekick -- shapeshifting -- dragons -- an evil wizard who aims to conquer death ... Sounds familiar? Think again, because I'm talking about Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series, which first appeared in 1964.

Five reasons to read Earthsea
(1) Beautiful writing from the award-winning author of The Dispossessed & The Left Hand of Darkness
(2) A coherent system of magic based on the power of language & limited by the necessity for balance
(3) Among the earliest sf&f to use coloured heroes & white Other
(4) Ancient wise dragons
(5) Middle-aged sex!

In a nutshell, Earthsea resembles HP without the CAPSLOCK, C.S. Lewis without the Christian allegory & Tolkien with a dash of sex... ( Sail on with me into the Archipelago )

Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Leroy Jethro Gibbs/Donald 'Ducky' Mallard. Abigail Sciuto/Timothy McGee (mentioned)
Length: 2,197
Author on LJ: daskatzechen
Author Website: None of which I am aware
Why this must be read:

This is the first (and thus far only) Gibbs/Ducky story DasKatzechen has written and it is a superb one. It was actually written for me for part of the 2008 Gibbs/Ducky Yuletide Exchange and what makes is so special to me is the obvious trouble DasKatzechen went to to make this story 'perfect' for me. Most Gibbs/Ducky authors are very close and we tend to know one another's tastes very well, but as I said DasKatzechen was new to it and yet managed to find not just the big things I love but the small things that some people might even not notice.

It's romance from beginning to end, but don't let that fool you into thinking its sugary and saccharine; it isn't. Not at all. The premise is simple: Gibbs wants to find the perfect Christmas gift for Ducky as it's their thirtieth Christmas together. Whilst out shopping he manages somehow to see/bump into all the main team members as well, who are all out shopping for one another.

This story had me smiling, sniffing, blinking very hard several times (in a good way, I hasten to add) going 'awwwww' and sighing happily. It's the perfect romantic, sweet, tender, affectionate, loving story without falling over the edge into the saccharine and unbelievable - in fact not even coming close.

And whilst it is a Gibbs/Ducky story, it also shows how close the entire team are and how much they care for one another and the trouble to which they'll go for one another.

( Extract )

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Christmas Shopping

Fandom: STAR WARS
Length: 1659 words
Pairing: Han Solo/Leia Organa
Author on LJ: l_a_s_o_s
Website: FFN Profile with many fics
Why this story must be read:

The love story of the Princess and the Pirate hits all notes as opposites attract, not opposites in spirit, mind you, but upbringing and all that. Leia and Han come together in the midst of danger, save each other's lives, and truly seem to be a couple before they ever are one officially. This author writes a series of 'Five Times That Han Proposed' and leitmotifs one through five each count as romantic and tense and true to the screen characters. Check out the rest of the writer's work for anytime that you feel starry-eyed and want validation of that wonderful emotion.


Han Solo and the Princess

Fandom: POPSLASH ('NSYNCSLASH)
Pairing: Lance Bass/Justin Timberlake
Length: Novella
Author on LJ: isolde13 
Author Website: The Girl Ain't Right
Why this must be read: Oh, where should I start? Hands down, Isolde13 was and still the queen of 'Nsyncangst. She spun these delectable tales of tragedies so emotionally gut wrenching that you'll find yourself wanting more and more of the treats she offered. Her tales of angst were the inspiration to all of us aspiring angst writers. Honestly, I wasn't sure which of her many award winning tales to recommend because they're all so amazing so I finally decided to introduce everyone to the fic that really sealed Isolde13's fate as the queen of 'Nsyncangst. Although she's since left the fandom for LOTR (love LOTR, but damn them for stealing her away), her website is still available thanks to the Wayback Internet Machine. Read "War-Torn" and enjoy it. When you're done, read her other fics as well. She's a true talent and a pioneer in her own rights.



War-Torn

The dark warlord scanned the war-torn field and was pleased. The village, once proud and thriving, had been reduced to nearly ashes. The bodies of the dead and dying covered the field and their flowing blood stained the grass red. The men of the village had fought bravely but were no match for the soldiers who were experts in the art of death and war. He continued to watch as his soldiers sorted through the carnage, looking for any signs of life. If they found someone alive yet on the brink of death they would help him along his journey by stabbing him through the heart with their swords. If however, he appeared healthy enough, the hapless man would be dragged off by the soldiers to experience horrors only previously imagined.

Fandom: MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin
Length: 1,202 words
Author on LJ: nickovetch 
Author Website: File 40

Why this must be read:

It's basically a PWP where Illya is in charge. If I gave you a summary there wouldn't be anything left to read, but basically Napoleon rushes home from work, Illya is grumpy because he's late. Naughtiness ensues *g*.

Strong, sexy Illya pushes all the right buttons for me and the banter is good too.

Inertia

I have the pleasure of introducing readers to fanfiction of Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series this month. Apologies for the late start, but I have my first selections lined up so it should be smooth sailing from now on! It's a small fandom, but the quality of the fanfiction is exceptionally high, and there have been some fantastic stories written by very well-known authors from larger fandoms. If you're not familiar with the series, my fandom outline gives a brief primer, but I do wholeheartedly recommend getting hold of the original books (still in print in many parts of the world), as I can't do justice to the beauty of Le Guin's writing nor to the complexity of her philosophy.

Fandom: EARTHSEA
Pairing: Ged/Jasper
Length: ~2750 words
Author on LJ: mctabby
Author Website: Archives at Skyehawke & ff.net, but I'm not aware that she's written any more in this fandom
Why this must be read:

Ged (also known as Sparrowhawk) is the central character in much of the Earthsea series, and he also dominates fanfiction. The majority features him as an adult, master of himself & his powers, but Le Guin paints a rich picture of the long path to that dual mastery in A Wizard of Earthsea, and a few stories have explored this era. When Ged first enters the Roke School of Wizardry (read boys-only Hogwarts) as an arrogant 14-year-old, his humble background -- a goatherd from an outlying farming island -- draws some teasing. Jasper is a handsome & suave older student, the son of one of the Lords on the Archipelago's large central island, and the bitter rivalry that develops between them is at the heart of A Wizard of Earthsea. It's just crying out for a slash reinterpretation.

'Sparkweed', like much Earthsea fanfiction, is a missing scene, set early during Ged's school days. Minerva's characterisations in this encounter are absolutely spot on, and the wonderful tense dialogue twists & turns rapidly enough that the reader is kept almost as unsettled as Ged. Despite the slash, the story has a very canonical feel.

( Excerpt under the cut )

Sparkweed by Minerva McTabby

Fandom: HEROES
Pairing: Mohinder/Sylar, Sylar/Luke
Length: ~5600
Author on LJ: strangesicksad
Author Website: Here, here or fic tagged here
Why this must be read: Because Sylar has a wide taste in travelling companions and this fic does a great job of contrasting his first and latest roadtrip buddies as well as the man he is with each of them. Mohinder's - out of the government's frying pan to the fire of captivity of another kind - as an outside perspective on the offsetness of Sylar/Luke, with a Luke-voice that hits the right petulant just-the-wrong-side-of-creepy.

The tension between Mohinder and Sylar is palpable with a deft edging of what-we-aren't-the-only-two-people-in-the-room levels of snark. I really like the limited use of powers - although whee! to the lie detecting - keeping the focus on who the characters are to each other, not what they could do.

( Excerpt )

Beneath the Suffocating Night