Paradigm Shift by Flyboy (NC-17)

[msdaccxx.livejournal.com]

Fandom: Oz
Pairing: various (slash and het), but mostly Beecher/Keller, Beecher/Other
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's website: unknown
Why this must be read

Paradigm Shift is a series of loosely interlinked vignettes, set around the early part of Season 4(b). It's told from the perspective of almost every major (and a few minor) characters and I love the freewheeling, panoramic vision of Em City life that emerges from these multiple voices. The character voices are excellently done - most notably Beecher, Keller, Ryan and Father Ray - and the prose is tight and economical, just like the show itself.

What's interesting about these fics is that they're written almost contemporaneously with the first run showing of these episodes. So, some of them sit neatly in canon, tallying perfectly with events on the show, whilst others are more speculative (and surprisingly accurate), based on trailers for forthcoming episodes and so forth. This lends a wonderful sense of immediacy and freshness to these fics - a real "what happens next?" sense of anticipation.

I don't know if Flyboy intended further installments, as we're left with a few loose ends, but one entire B/K story arc is completed and I guess that'll keep most of us happy, yes? And there's a rib-tickling sequence where Keller explains the mechanics of gay sex to an appalled-but-fascinated Ryan that's worth the price of admission alone.

Paradigm Shift 01
Paradigm Shift 02
Paradigm Shift 03
Paradigm Shift 04
Paradigm Shift 05
Paradigm Shift 06
Paradigm Shift 07
Paradigm Shift 08
Paradigm Shift 09
Paradigm Shift 10
Paradigm Shift 11