Finally!
Please pardon my delay, folks. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.
Author: miamadwyn
Title: Care of Magical Creatures
Characters/Pairing: SSHG
Why: There are a great many things to love about this twist on ye olde SSHG marriage law fic. One is that it moves beyond what’s become a trope in the fandom. Another is the amazing chemistry between her Professor and Miss Granger. Yes, some smut is included, but the real draw for me is riding along on the powerful pull of their utterly unique romance. There are also some wonderful twists on both main characters’ backgrounds that make for both hilarity and dismay. The angst and humor labels are both well deserved.
Author: ariadne1
Characters/Pairing: SSHG
Title: A Walking Shadow
Why: I’m quite sure that I’ve rec’d this before, but I don’t mind repeating myself when it comes to talking about a story I love. Ariadne has a gift for taking the magic that JKR created in the series and making something new and wonderful out of it; something that’s even a bit more sophisticated than JKR, something a bit more mysterious and, in this case, both more risky and enticing. Among other things to like about this story is Tayet, an oddly-colored, very friendly phoenix.
Author: ariadne1
Title: In Spirit
Characters/Pairing: SSHG
Why: This story is still posting, so I’m reading along with everyone else, wondering what the next chapter will bring. I know that Hermione has my dream job. I know that Ariadne has created another small creature that I desperately want to hug. Her name is Mimi.
Author: juniperus
Title: The Language of Flowers
Characters/Pairing: Neville
Why: I’ve read several SSHG stories in which the various meanings attributed to various flowers played some sort of role, usually as part of the romantic relationship between Severus and Hermione. This is something quite different, more monumental, in which the symbology of the flowers planted and used is intended to convey lasting meaning. Neville here is how I imagined he would grow up to be: determined, thoughtful, and creative. He helps create a war memorial unlike anything the Ministry could conceive. Thank goodness.
Author: juniperus
Title: Ode to the Daimonic; or, Peace to Thy Gentle Shade
Characters/Pairing: Neville, Percy, and others
Why: This is a sequel to The Language of Flowers, but more than that, too. I actually read this before going back to read TLoF. I wept while reading this story. Neville grapples with conflicted feelings about the past and a particular teacher (who you can probably guess, but who will remain nameless here) and finds some very hopeful tenderness in the present. Both of Juni’s stories are rich in detail. They are stories to be read closely and to savor.
Author: Sam Starbuck, alias copperbadge, alias sam_storyteller
Title: Sing Morning Out of Night
Characters/Pairing: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Sarah Jane, Luke, The Doctor, and others
Why: I think I’ve probably rec’d more of Sam’s work than any other fic writer, which is strange because he’s only written one SSHG story and that’s where my interests have fallen since I jumped into this crazy thing called fandom. But Sam is a creative writer who crafts yarns and builds characters that pull you in and make you want to settle in for a long ride. The kind of stories that you don’t really want to end. I’m going to provide Sam’s summary because I think that mine would give everything away: “A strange deck of Tarot cards, a dying TARDIS, and UNIT's invasion of a coastal Welsh village lead Torchwood to investigate the disappearance of the Doctor, with some help from Sarah Jane and Luke Smith. This is a new incarnation of the Doctor, however, and none of them are prepared for what they find as they unravel the mystery.”
After watching Torchwood’s "Children of Earth" series, I was anxious for some series fix-it fics. If you’ve seen it, you know why. firefly_124 held my virtual hand through the angst and led me directly or indirectly to the fics below. ~Blows kisses~
Author: concertigrossi
Title: In Perpetuity
Characters/Pairings: Jack, The Doctor, and most of the known Whoniverse.
Why: Did you catch the Doctor Who episode from season 3 where, toward the end, Jack makes some passing comment that suggest to The Doctor and Martha that he is or becomes the Face of Boe? I missed the comment til Firefly pointed it out. Here’s an idea on how Jack got there.
Author: rm
Title: Fan music for In Perpetuity
Why: Because how cool is that?
Author: mellacita
Title: Everywhere Is In Walking Distance, If You Have the Time
Characters/Pairings: CoE Torchwood gang, The Doctor, and many others
Why: It proves that linear narrative is not all that it’s cracked up to be. It deals with all of the shady ethical issues in CoE. We get to meet Gwen & Rhys’s daughter. It helps envision a Torchwood future beyond the apocalyptic, and one that is comforting at that.
Author: theohsocurlyone
Title: Five Conversations Gwen Cooper Had Following the Evasion of the Apocalypse
Characters/Pairings: Gwen, Rhys, Ianto’s family
Why: Apparently, lots of Torchwood fanfic out there, especially that that focuses on Jack/Ianto, makes Gwen out to be a shrew. This story emphatically does not. Gwen, trying to make sense of it all, to make a life after she’s seen what she’s seen and done what she did in CoE, is heartbroken and hopeful and searching. These conversations are not comforting, but they feel very real, which is just as good.
Author: Back to sam_storyteller again, this time under the pen name Sam Starbuck
Title: Nameless
Why: This is the first original novel Sam has published. You can buy a hard copy or get a free download at the same site. Anyone familiar with Sam’s fanfic will recognize the lure for him of the eccentric bookshop with the eccentric owner in a town somewhere and the characters readers meet as they meander in and out of the shop. This bookseller’s name is Christopher, and he and his bookshop live in a small Illinois town, Low Ferry. All perfectly ordinary, except for the magic, and Lucas, who moves to town one day, and a dog Christopher calls Nameless.
Author: Maira Kalman
Title: I Lift My Lamp Beside the Golden Door
Why: Not fiction, but definitely original. Maira Kalman is an amazing artist and writer who’s probably best known to adults these days for the illustrated version of Strunk & White’s Elements of Style she created a few years ago. Or for the famous New Yorker cover she did in December 2001. But, those of you who have children or just appreciate picture books will know her from the completely amazing series of books she did in the 1980s and 1990s, several of which feature a very clever and well-traveled dog named Max. Right now Kalman’s doing a blog for The New York Times, and it’s smart and funny and clever and illustrated. She’s right-on.
Author: miamadwyn
Title: Care of Magical Creatures
Characters/Pairing: SSHG
Why: There are a great many things to love about this twist on ye olde SSHG marriage law fic. One is that it moves beyond what’s become a trope in the fandom. Another is the amazing chemistry between her Professor and Miss Granger. Yes, some smut is included, but the real draw for me is riding along on the powerful pull of their utterly unique romance. There are also some wonderful twists on both main characters’ backgrounds that make for both hilarity and dismay. The angst and humor labels are both well deserved.
Author: ariadne1
Characters/Pairing: SSHG
Title: A Walking Shadow
Why: I’m quite sure that I’ve rec’d this before, but I don’t mind repeating myself when it comes to talking about a story I love. Ariadne has a gift for taking the magic that JKR created in the series and making something new and wonderful out of it; something that’s even a bit more sophisticated than JKR, something a bit more mysterious and, in this case, both more risky and enticing. Among other things to like about this story is Tayet, an oddly-colored, very friendly phoenix.
Author: ariadne1
Title: In Spirit
Characters/Pairing: SSHG
Why: This story is still posting, so I’m reading along with everyone else, wondering what the next chapter will bring. I know that Hermione has my dream job. I know that Ariadne has created another small creature that I desperately want to hug. Her name is Mimi.
Author: juniperus
Title: The Language of Flowers
Characters/Pairing: Neville
Why: I’ve read several SSHG stories in which the various meanings attributed to various flowers played some sort of role, usually as part of the romantic relationship between Severus and Hermione. This is something quite different, more monumental, in which the symbology of the flowers planted and used is intended to convey lasting meaning. Neville here is how I imagined he would grow up to be: determined, thoughtful, and creative. He helps create a war memorial unlike anything the Ministry could conceive. Thank goodness.
Author: juniperus
Title: Ode to the Daimonic; or, Peace to Thy Gentle Shade
Characters/Pairing: Neville, Percy, and others
Why: This is a sequel to The Language of Flowers, but more than that, too. I actually read this before going back to read TLoF. I wept while reading this story. Neville grapples with conflicted feelings about the past and a particular teacher (who you can probably guess, but who will remain nameless here) and finds some very hopeful tenderness in the present. Both of Juni’s stories are rich in detail. They are stories to be read closely and to savor.
Author: Sam Starbuck, alias copperbadge, alias sam_storyteller
Title: Sing Morning Out of Night
Characters/Pairing: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Sarah Jane, Luke, The Doctor, and others
Why: I think I’ve probably rec’d more of Sam’s work than any other fic writer, which is strange because he’s only written one SSHG story and that’s where my interests have fallen since I jumped into this crazy thing called fandom. But Sam is a creative writer who crafts yarns and builds characters that pull you in and make you want to settle in for a long ride. The kind of stories that you don’t really want to end. I’m going to provide Sam’s summary because I think that mine would give everything away: “A strange deck of Tarot cards, a dying TARDIS, and UNIT's invasion of a coastal Welsh village lead Torchwood to investigate the disappearance of the Doctor, with some help from Sarah Jane and Luke Smith. This is a new incarnation of the Doctor, however, and none of them are prepared for what they find as they unravel the mystery.”
After watching Torchwood’s "Children of Earth" series, I was anxious for some series fix-it fics. If you’ve seen it, you know why. firefly_124 held my virtual hand through the angst and led me directly or indirectly to the fics below. ~Blows kisses~
Author: concertigrossi
Title: In Perpetuity
Characters/Pairings: Jack, The Doctor, and most of the known Whoniverse.
Why: Did you catch the Doctor Who episode from season 3 where, toward the end, Jack makes some passing comment that suggest to The Doctor and Martha that he is or becomes the Face of Boe? I missed the comment til Firefly pointed it out. Here’s an idea on how Jack got there.
Author: rm
Title: Fan music for In Perpetuity
Why: Because how cool is that?
Author: mellacita
Title: Everywhere Is In Walking Distance, If You Have the Time
Characters/Pairings: CoE Torchwood gang, The Doctor, and many others
Why: It proves that linear narrative is not all that it’s cracked up to be. It deals with all of the shady ethical issues in CoE. We get to meet Gwen & Rhys’s daughter. It helps envision a Torchwood future beyond the apocalyptic, and one that is comforting at that.
Author: theohsocurlyone
Title: Five Conversations Gwen Cooper Had Following the Evasion of the Apocalypse
Characters/Pairings: Gwen, Rhys, Ianto’s family
Why: Apparently, lots of Torchwood fanfic out there, especially that that focuses on Jack/Ianto, makes Gwen out to be a shrew. This story emphatically does not. Gwen, trying to make sense of it all, to make a life after she’s seen what she’s seen and done what she did in CoE, is heartbroken and hopeful and searching. These conversations are not comforting, but they feel very real, which is just as good.
Author: Back to sam_storyteller again, this time under the pen name Sam Starbuck
Title: Nameless
Why: This is the first original novel Sam has published. You can buy a hard copy or get a free download at the same site. Anyone familiar with Sam’s fanfic will recognize the lure for him of the eccentric bookshop with the eccentric owner in a town somewhere and the characters readers meet as they meander in and out of the shop. This bookseller’s name is Christopher, and he and his bookshop live in a small Illinois town, Low Ferry. All perfectly ordinary, except for the magic, and Lucas, who moves to town one day, and a dog Christopher calls Nameless.
Author: Maira Kalman
Title: I Lift My Lamp Beside the Golden Door
Why: Not fiction, but definitely original. Maira Kalman is an amazing artist and writer who’s probably best known to adults these days for the illustrated version of Strunk & White’s Elements of Style she created a few years ago. Or for the famous New Yorker cover she did in December 2001. But, those of you who have children or just appreciate picture books will know her from the completely amazing series of books she did in the 1980s and 1990s, several of which feature a very clever and well-traveled dog named Max. Right now Kalman’s doing a blog for The New York Times, and it’s smart and funny and clever and illustrated. She’s right-on.