Fandom: Hornblower
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: No
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:
This is a fic for everyone who's ever debated the "Who Pushed Sawyer?" question. It raises an even MORE important question: "Who left the grating open?" I'll not spoil the story by naming the character the author chose for this purpose but it offers a lovely perspetive nonetheless and is a great look into his mind.
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The Grating

Fandom: Hornblower
Pairing: None
Author on LJ: No
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:
What WOULD it have been like if they'd had PCs and email accounts? This retelling of the first two Hornblower series through the use of emails that the characters send to each other is hilarious! Characterization is spot on, especially in a medium where it might seem difficult to manage this feat.

Somehow it is managed admirably and absolute madness is the result. This is the fic that's made me snort beverages onto my screen, that makes me laugh hysterically and that I HAVE to share with my online Hornblower buddies, it just works so WELL
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Part One Part Two Part Three

Hey there! I'm Sar and I'll be Captaining this vessel er...Driving the van for the Hornblower fandom this month. I have a variety of interests in terms of pairing and I hope to be able to share a variety of different recs with you guys over the next thirty one days.
Without any further adieu let's get started:

Fandom: Hornblower
Pairing: Hornblower/Bush
Author on LJ: dastier
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

This is the fic that sparked my interest in the Hornblower/Bush pairing, seeing that I usually tend to prefer Archie Kennedy as the love interest in most Hornblower slash. The premise is what first drew me in:
Horatio is put into a mental hospital for violating the 29th Article of War: In other words, he's been found guilty of sodomy.

It's up to Bush to get his captain out before it is too late. But first he has to get to him by navigating the aslyum and then trying to work within the system to free him.

The story is griping, brutally honest in its descriptions of the horrors patients regularly had to face and features a very strongly written Maria, which is a nice change from most fics in the fandom. It is one that I tend to read over and over again when I have the time, and though I know what is going to happen, it doesn't change the element of suspense at all.

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Ways Of Protection

Vidder: nautacarus
Musical artist: Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto for Oboe and Violin in B-Flat Major (ii. Largo)
Pairing: Edward Pellew/Horatio Hornblower
Vidder on LJ: nautacarus
Vidder's website: NA
Why this vid kicks ass:

Amazing music. And beautiful, beautiful editing. The use of music without lyrics presents a particular difficulty in vidding in that there are no lyrics to guide. But nautacarus doesn't need them to tell this story. It rises and falls with the sound of the instruments. Plus, the ending? *g*

Warning: the vid contains a bit of nudity.

Duet

Title: Five Things that Never Happened to William Bush:Jedi by quigonejinn
Pairing: William Bush/Qui-Gon
Author on LJ:quigonejinn
Author Website: it's sunday, sir
Why this must be read:

This needs to be read for the William Bush and Qui-Gon stoic, honorable dude conversation alone. This fic is not just cracktastic fun. It actually makes SENSE. Which really sorta scares me.

In an amazing way, the author has melded two disparate fandoms. To say anymore would ruin the adventure.

Five Things that Never Happened to William Bush:Jedi

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: William Bush/Maria Hornblower
Author on LJ:randomalia
Author Website: na
Why this must be read:

Any story written by randomalia is a jackpot. This one particularly so. The pairing is nearly unknown in the fandom, and yet after reading her story, one wonders why. She has written a quiet, nuanced tale as to how these two souls would be drawn together. And be well suited. And, I believe.

Poignant, well-told, well-characterized. Much said in a small space.

The Long March

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Edward Pellew/William Bush
Author on LJ:nautacarus
Author Website: Author's LJ Memories
Why this must be read:

This is a unique piece of fic. Not only for the early setting -- 1787 -- but for the meeting of Captain Pellew with William Bush in his midshipman years. The characterization of both Bush and Pellew is adroit. Much said in a small space. The author knows what she is about, and has given us a completely believeable and beautifully written story about how William Bush came to be a lieutenant, and the man who made it possible.

He will make sailors of the midshipmen, he will make a gentleman of himself, and you will make officers of them all.

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/William Bush
Author on LJ: billytaylor
Author Website: Unknown

Why this must be read:

Reason 1: This is the first and last piece of good Hornblower and the Crisis fic that I've ever read.

Reason 2: This is the first and last piece of Hornblower and the Crisis fic that I've ever read.

Reason 3: Despite the PG-13 rating, this is probably one of the filthiest things I've read in a good long time. And by filthy, I mean, "pornographic" and "dirty dirty dirty, yet totally in-character" and "my God, Hornblower would really do that" and "hitting that kink for public sex" and "God, how can writing be that suggestive and sexually vivid despite only a PG-13 rating and complete lack of graphic penises?"

Link.

Fandom: Horatio Hornblower
Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/Barbara Wellesley, implied Horatio Hornblower/William Bush
Author on LJ: black_hound
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

It's fic! It's artwork! It's a fic that is artwork!

black_hound is one of the most -- if not the most -- gifted fan artist in the Hornblower fandom, and with this, she proves that she can write, too. A sharp turn of phrase, a fabulously atmospheric job on the illustrating end, and the result? A short, pointed piece exploring the gray areas that lie between Hornblower's Navy and civilian life.

Link

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/Maria, Horatio Hornblower/Marie, Horatio Hornblower/Barbara
Author on LJ: romanticalgirl
Author Website: A Multitude of Voices
Why this must be read: The main character of the series might be male; the books may be set in a version of the Royal Navy even more devoid of women than the historical one. Nevertheless, women are central to CS Forester's vision of Hornblower, and there are very few fics out there exploring this.

Marie, Barbara, and Maria as they've rarely been characterized in fandom, rendered brilliantly and fully by a thoughtful writer who knows her canon. Characterization to make your heart ache, backstory that will send prickles up your back, and a tough, profoundly authentic view of a dark, dark canon. It's a brilliant read.

Link.

Fandom: Horatio Hornblower
Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/Edward Pellew
Author on LJ: thehappyreturn
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

Once upon a time, there was porn. And it was amazing.

It was dirty and rich and filthy and fascinating and just this side of being outrageous and, as a result, outrageously hot. This was written by somebody who likes their sexual power politics hot and wrong, and really. This is the fic for anybody who looked at doe-eyed Ioan Gruffudd with the curls tumbling over his shoulders and wide-open mouth in the first two Hornblower movies and thought, "Boy, I'd like a piece of that."

Or, you know. Saw him stark naked under a shower of water in the subsequent ones and thought the same thing.

Or appreciates fic about good blowjobs.

Or just likes porn.

No, caution would still pay.

Link.

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: William Bush/OFC; William Bush/Horatio Hornblower
Author on LJ:phantomsangel
Author Website: NA
Why this must be read:

In Lieutenant Hornblower, C.S. Forester tells us what William Bush and Horatio Hornblower did on summer vacation shore leave in Kingston, Jamaica, in the year 1801.

" -- those two days were a lurid period, during which Hornblower and Bush contrived to spend each of them a hundred pounds in the dubious delights of Kingston."

phantomsangel has filled in the details. William Bush. A fancy French whore. And Horatio Hornblower on the side.

Besoin

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: William Bush/OFC; William Bush/Horatio Hornblower implied
Author on LJ:quigonejinn
Author Website: NA
Why this must be read:

This fic singlehandedly puts the lie to that old chestnut that an Age of Sail OFC must either be a Mary Sue or a bodice ripper cliche. Set primarily between "Flying Colours" and "Commodore Hornblower" during Captain Bush's tenure as the Resident Commissioner of the Sheerness Dockyard, this fic follows the fate of Captain Bush through "Lord Hornblower" as well. This is true in tone to the C.S. Forester books, with all the hardship and inherent danger, as well as the joy, of loving a naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars.

The first time you saw the man that you would marry, you thought that he was ugly.

Fandom:HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Marie de Gracay/Horatio Hornblower; Horatio Hornblower/William Bush, implied
Author on LJ:quietcontrary
Author Website: NA
Why this must be read:

The character of Marie de Gracay has been woefully under-represented in the fiction of Hornblower fandom, considering how integral she is to the later books -- starting with "Flying Colours". This fic is, in fact, set during "Flying Colours", and is quite nearly definitive in terms of speaking to the character of this lady. quietcontrary explores not just the relationship between Hornblower and Marie, but also the friendship between Marie and William Bush and how their connection to Hornblower affects them both.

I cannot recommend this story enough.

Vigilances

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: William Bush/Horatio Hornblower
Author on LJ:_oggy_
Author Website: NA
Why this must be read:

Why? Archeological fictional scholarship written by a real archeologist. Based on the events in "Lord Hornblower" this boasts two fabulous OC's who excavate a dig site ..... and what they find. Written as a fictional story but loaded with professional archeological detail related to the Hornblower story as told by C.S. Forester, this fic is highly recommended.

Archeology at Caudebec

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: N/A
Author on LJ: anglopollyanna
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

Sure, it's one of those ficlets about a totally random person that you don't remember from canon. Sure, it's very short, and there's no sex. Nevertheless, this is an compelling read -- anglopollyanna turns out some brilliant phrases. She conveys emotion in a compressed, masterly way, and this fic is just brimming with elements and detail to delight the Napoleonic War buff.

Thought-provoking stuff whether you're a fan of movie Edrington or book Edrington or no Edrington at all.

Link.

Fandom: Horatio Hornblower
Pairing: N/A. Gen character study of Archie Kennedy.
Author on LJ: randomalia
Author Website: [link]
Why this must be read: Fifty sentences about Archibald Kennedy, fifty sentences of crisp writing and solid character insight. There's a lot of fic written about Kennedy, but there isn't a lot of fic where the writer's vision of Kennedy is so tough and uncompromising and, ultimately, moving.

Embrace the pain.

Link.

Fandom: Horatio Hornblower
Pairing: William Bush/Archie Kennedy
Author Website: N/A.
Why this must be read:

This is the filthy, dirty, nasty, hothothot stuff that the Internet was made to propagate.

No, seriously. The history books are lying to you when they tell you that the Internet was invented so that the military could keep contact during nuclear fallout or whatever -- it was actually put together so that twenty years down the line or so, you could get gay porn of this caliber delivered straight to your eyeballs in the privacy of your own home. If this stuff makes James Dobson sweat in his sleep, it's probably because he read it before bed, had to take a trip to the bathroom, and still can't the picture of Bush on his knees doing this and Kennedy moaning that out of a mouth all ready for you-know-what.

My favorite three word line in the entirety of fandom is in this story. Love ain't got nothing to do with it, but some of the greatest porn ever written sure does, and I'm more than happy to settle.

Link.

Vidder: Black Hound
Musical artist: Santana
Pairing: Kennedy/Bush. Sort of.
Vidder on lj: black_hound
Vidder's Website: The Scriptorium
Why this vid kicks ass:

I found it very hard to choose just one of black_hound’s excellent HH vids to rec, but finally settled on Smooth because its cheeky irreverent take on Archie Kennedy and William Bush during Mutiny and Retribution never fails to make me smile.

Archie and Bush have really great screen chemistry in Mutiny and Retribution and this vid follows the tension between them as their reactions to each other evolve from initial eye-rolling exasperation (Archie) and stony disapproval (Bush) into deliciously smouldering glances and a number of truly charming smiles exchanged between them. black_hound cleverly plays with the context of the clips she uses to create a perfectly plausible and very convincing relationship that goes well beyond what the film-makers had in mind for Archie and Bush.

The result? A lovely vid that’s unexpectedly lighthearted, considering the source material.

Fandom: HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio/Archie
Author on LJ: inlovewithnight
Author Website: Exaggeration and Blank Verse
Why this must be read:

One of my favourite things about this fic is that it features an Archie who is vulnerable but not weak. If you were to ask Renown-era Archie what his worst nightmare is, I’d put my money on it being precisely what inlovewithnight has happen to him here. His wry, even bitter, humour in response to what must be a terrifying prospect ties in perfectly with his characterization in Mutiny and Retribution.

My other favourite thing is the tenderness between Horatio and Archie, and the way they don’t need too many words to convey concern and a deep affection – because words are dangerous on the Renown, where the ship herself seems to be listening. And the fact that we know, although they themselves are unaware, that the time they have left together is short adds an extra poignancy to the ending.

This may not be a long fic but it’s a gem of beautifully-judged atmosphere, character and dialogue from an author who has a very sure touch with these characters.

Whispers

Fandom: HORNBLOWER
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: idler_1814
Author Website: Just her journal which contains her HH fic and nothing else.
Why this must be read:

To my mind, this is the perfect drabble. Spare beautiful language works its magic to paint a bigger picture than would seem possible in just 100 words, suggesting how William Bush the blacksmith’s apprentice might have found his way to sea. I particularly love the way the title, taken from Bush’s own words in the one scene in Retribution in which he refers to his blacksmith connection, describes his progression from a stifling smithy to the "limitless sea". Tremendously accomplished in every way and a joy to read - and reread.

The Coefficient of Expansion

Fandom: HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Bush/Hornblower, implied
Author on LJ: quigonejinn
Author Website: http://quigonejinn.livejournal.com/tag/hornblower+fic
Why this must be read:

This is an unusual fic in that it consists of a series of single sentence snippets written to a list of pre-set theme-words. They’re wonderfully evocative: some straightforward and obvious, some that make you puzzle for a moment and then go, "Oh. Yes. Of course". Quigonjinn’s affection for Lt Bush illuminates both his own character and his relationships with others, especially Hornblower. The language has a deceptive simplicity that conceals a depth of emotion and beautifully nuanced reflections by and about Bush. This is a wonderfully insightful character piece and if you’re looking for new authors currently writing in this fandom, quigonejinn is definitely one to watch.

Steady

I'm rosiespark, and it’s my watch on the Hornblower Crack Van this month. I'm a slash girl at heart, mainly movieverse, with Archie/Horatio being the pairing closest to my heart, but I’ll happily read (and rec!) a wide variety of fic including gen, bookverse stuff, AU’s and any pairing that’s plausibly written. I’d say my primary demands of any fic are good characterization and good writing.

I’d enthusiastically lined up a number of wonderful fics that are personal favourites. And then I had a good look at the archives and discovered that they’d almost all already been rec’d. Oh woe! So I’ll adopt a different approach and will be rec’ing mainly shorter pieces that maybe didn’t get the attention they deserve and that are far too good to be forgotten.

Fandom: HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Could be summed up as "Everyone wants Horatio."
Author on LJ: clotho123
Author Website: http://uk.geocities.com/clotho1231/home.htm
Why this must be read:

The author refers to this fic as a farce – I’d prefer to call it a piece of inspired silliness. Humor is rare enough in this fandom, but this little fic has its tongue tucked firmly in its cheek and is consequently a great favourite of mine. Clotho weaves a delightful web of situations and unlikely encounters that pokes gentle fun at the fanfic cliché of a sexually oblivious Horatio by having everyone (and I mean everyone!) lust after him unrequitedly.

Every time I read this fic, I’m always impressed by the way all the characters are so recognizable and well drawn – and with a cast of thousands (well, almost!) spanning the first six films, that’s no mean feat. I mean, how often do Captain Sawyer and Major My Lord Edrington share the same page? And as an irresistible bonus, we finally get to find out the reason for Horatio’s penchant for cold showers on deck…

Object of Desire

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/William Bush
Author on LJ: thehappyreturn
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read: Alternate ending to Flying Colours, the eighth book of the series. It sums up everything that is moving and terrible and wonderful about the Horatio Hornblower series with heart stopping, breathtaking precision. The language is amazing, the charecterization is amazing, and the ending stands alone in this fandom, in my experience, for sheer emotional impact. You think the story is done with its insights and brilliance and fierce commitment to breaking your heart, but oh no, it's not. Even hyper-critical, cynical fandom dogs like me get a little teary.

This is not a fic to miss if you are at all interested in the book versions of either Horatio Hornblower or William Bush.

Each soldier cast a shadow pooling ahead of him over the white ground. Each soldier held a rifle. With the lamps behind them, they were black, identical.

Heroes.

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/William Bush, Horatio Hornblower/Richard Wellesley, Richard Wellesley/Sharpe universe mystery surprise character
Author on LJ: dastier
Author Website: Black Adios
Why this must be read: This fic is for anybody with a passing familiarity with the later career of Horatio Hornblower and the Napoleonic wars.

No, seriously. It's like dastier took a cup of Horatio Hornblower fandom, 2 liquid ounces of high-quality Richard Sharpe extract, a generous handful of history, threw them into a fandom food processor, and hit the "pulse until delightfully mixed" button. And then, when that was done, sprinkled on top some "hilariously ineffable entitlement of the ruling class" and "Horatio Hornblower gets pwnzrd over a rum keg because he married way, way, way out of his class."

"And does a certain First Lieutenant Bush hold a place among those chosen few?"

Hornblower coughed in bewilderment, the sound much like the one a sheep makes when the shepherd creeps up on it with his shears.

Next of Kin

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Edward Pellew/Horatio Hornblower, Edward Pellew/male
Author on LJ: nautacarus
Warnings: Dubious consent.
Author Website: N/A

Why this must be read: Sharp, brilliantly executed, and hot in all those terribly wrong and yet oh-so-right ways. nautacarus begins a farly light -- and absolutely dead-on -- tone that will amuse if you're even vaguely familiar with period writing, but the author wasn't kidding when she gave this its title.

Consequences rarely get this kind of unflinching treatment.

The Decline and Fall of Sir Edward Pellew

Fandom: Horatio Hornblower
Pairing: Bush/female, Bush/Hornblower.
Author on LJ: randomalia
Author Website: N/A
Why this must be read:

If you're in the mood for something wonderful and rich that holds up to re-reading, this is a piece that really should not be missed. Even if you are skeeved by the notion of reading het sex -- really, as is the case with much of this author's writing, it's not what you think it is.

Alchemy is a brilliantly executed, fantastically interesting snapshot of William Bush and his relationships to both living things -- Hornblower, a prostitute during the Two Hard Days and Nights Debauch in Kingston, an old teacher -- and those things that ought to be classified as living, namely, the wooden ships that he loves so much.

randomalia is a master of subtle writing. This story is a masterpiece in fantastic characterization.

It needs time. Bush thinks that if a man works hard he'll know.

Alchemy

Fandom: HORATIO HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Horatio Hornblower/Edward Pellew
Author on LJ: (none as far as I can tell)
Author Website: Dorinda's bare bones page
Why this must be read:

For those of you who are squicked by Hornblower/Pellew because of age or consent issues, this is the fic for you: no blushing midshipmen here. This Hornblower is a captain very much in posession of himself, and the story is beautifully, economically told with just as much control.

Dorinda sketches out the characters in a few lines, brings them together in a few more, and closes with a line that still makes me smile whenever I read it. It's true to the characters, and it rings true, more generally, as only Nelson's Navy and a writer with an amazing grasp of her craft could make it.

101 Ways To End Up In A Canadian Shack: #68.

Fandom: HORNBLOWER
Pairing: William Bush and Archie Kennedy.
Author on LJ: la_reine_bleu
Author Website: Ginny Rose
Why this must be read:

Impressionistic sketches of a short, intense acquaintance; hot, rushed, incomplete and painful, but beautifully drawn.

It is as if the ship has a mind of her own; or else has read his...

Fandom: HORNBLOWER
Pairing: Lt. William Bush/Midshipman Jack Hammond
Author Website: None
Why this must be read:

A wonderfully crafted moment-in-time fic, as cold and hard and wary as a sailor on the midwatch, with a spark of heat glowing at its centre.

There are a thousand reasons why two sailors might find themselves crawling down each other's breeches, but perhaps, in the end it comes down to this: you get damned cold at sea.

The Navy, Jack's mother had often said, made the finest men ...