Star Trek recs
Surfing the wave of fanfiction for the new film (for which recommendations will appear eventually, no doubt) made me dip back into my old Trek loves. Here are a few classics for those afflicted with a similar dose of nostalgia...
Deep Space 9
Acts Of Kindness, by JA Chapman
'"Doctor, are you telling me that you missed the entire point of the story?" Garak tutted, "What a shame, I was under the impression that you were more intelligent than that."' A clever tale within a tale which sheds light on Cardassian values via exploration of their literature. Worth a try despite one or two jarring mistakes
Once Upon A Time, by JA Chapman
'"You aren't going to tell me some cock and bull story about how you worked as a waiter for some Klingon restaurant and got shorted a tip by a diplomat who later died choking on gagh or something equally bizarre, are you?"' A bit rough around the edges, perhaps, but this tale within a tale shows Garak at his manipulative best during his time as a gardener on Romulus
Orfeo, by Macedon
'It was the voice of God calling the world into creation, the primeval dawn, and Jake could not listen hard enough.' Macedon cleverly uses an unusual OC to probe the prejudices of the denizens of DS9 in this fandom classic. The sequels, Eye of the Storm & Anslem, worked less well for me
The Next Generation
And Justice For Q, by John Berger
'"Q, you are charged with precipitating an invasion of the Federation by putting the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1707-D, into contact with the Borg before such contact would have occurred through natural means."' A particularly thoughtful take on this oft-written idea. Q's choice of defence council is inspired (crossover with TOS)
The Speed of Sound, by Kyra Cullinan
'...it had seemed so unfathomable that everything which passed between them was filtered through electrons and biogel packs, carefully selecting the best way to translate idioms, convey emotion.' A delicate study of character & relationship via language
Deep Space 9
Acts Of Kindness, by JA Chapman
'"Doctor, are you telling me that you missed the entire point of the story?" Garak tutted, "What a shame, I was under the impression that you were more intelligent than that."' A clever tale within a tale which sheds light on Cardassian values via exploration of their literature. Worth a try despite one or two jarring mistakes
Once Upon A Time, by JA Chapman
'"You aren't going to tell me some cock and bull story about how you worked as a waiter for some Klingon restaurant and got shorted a tip by a diplomat who later died choking on gagh or something equally bizarre, are you?"' A bit rough around the edges, perhaps, but this tale within a tale shows Garak at his manipulative best during his time as a gardener on Romulus
Orfeo, by Macedon
'It was the voice of God calling the world into creation, the primeval dawn, and Jake could not listen hard enough.' Macedon cleverly uses an unusual OC to probe the prejudices of the denizens of DS9 in this fandom classic. The sequels, Eye of the Storm & Anslem, worked less well for me
The Next Generation
And Justice For Q, by John Berger
'"Q, you are charged with precipitating an invasion of the Federation by putting the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1707-D, into contact with the Borg before such contact would have occurred through natural means."' A particularly thoughtful take on this oft-written idea. Q's choice of defence council is inspired (crossover with TOS)
The Speed of Sound, by Kyra Cullinan
'...it had seemed so unfathomable that everything which passed between them was filtered through electrons and biogel packs, carefully selecting the best way to translate idioms, convey emotion.' A delicate study of character & relationship via language