Guide to Completed SSHG Epics (HBP-era)

[harmony_bites]

I mentioned in a previous post a friend had mentioned she hadn’t read a lengthy post-HBP SSHG story that matched the old classics, which left me to scurry to catch up on my reading to see if she was right. I searched through FanfictionNet, AdultFanfiction, Restricted Section, Ashwinder, Petulant Poetess and OWLBelow is listed every single completed

Comments

[mundungus42]

To be honest, epic-length stories, with a few (very!) notable exceptions, are not my cuppa. Even among the oft-lauded classics, I find the majority to be poorly plotted, discursive, and suffering from peripatetic characterization. I agree with you, HBP will definitely help on the epic front, partially because JKR can't scupper us more than she already has :D And fortunately, there are huge numbers of excellent novel-length stories out there to keep us entertained in the meantime. HBP's only been out 2.5 years. I'm sure in time we'll have epic-fic numbers to rival CoS Harry/Ginny. :D

[harmony_bites]

Even among the oft-lauded classics, I find the majority to be poorly plotted, discursive, and suffering from peripatetic characterization

The majority of all fics, in all eras are awful though--and actually--if you include not just my recs but those epics at all fangirled and "near misses" there are about 12 readable stories here--and 12 out of 32 isn't that bad in a way.

I got hooked on the ship by an incompleted epic, Falling Further In and greatly fangirl Fire and the Rose and Soul Searching so maybe the epics impress more than most--though certainly your evaluation is spot on as to the flaw they're prone to.

It's true there are still contenders out there among WIPs.

And yes, I think DH has/will help a lot--we're already seeing lighter fare among other things, which I think is all to the good. Much easier really, thanks to JKR's plot holes, to imagine a happy ending.

Hmmm makes me want to try this with the novels ;-)

[mundungus42]

I think the high percentage of excellent exchange stories has spoiled me rotten. It was Sphinx/Textualsphinx that hooked me on the ship and Slytherins in general- I'll never forget her "Sorting Song by Severus." I remember entire verses of it to this day. I fangirl "Fire and the Rose," too- it's one of the few epics that has admirably withstood the test of time and canon-shafting. Re: contenders, I can't WAIT for more of "The Summoning!" :D Are you counting novel length as 50K+ words?

[harmony_bites]

I agree with you about more of The Summoning though that wouldn't be a contender for this list--it started posting well before the HBP was published.

Pros (you can see this in things like the Hugos) consider a novel anything over 40,000 words--even though that's short in terms of what gets published. That's also a novel for the purposes of the SSHG awards, although I didn't post this with them in mind. And it's also how we define a novel on Know-It-Alls.

So, were I to post any sort of guide to postHBP SSHG novels, it would include anything above 40,000 words (and under 100,001 words)--which would give me an excuse to read some works of yours I think I've missed among other things ;-)

No epics from the Exchange btw--but during this period there were 6 novels (not including threesomes which would make it 9)

[mundungus42]

Naw, most of mine come in around 30K, though I've gotten more long-winded this round ;) I'm not the only one, it seems. Were there always this many multi-chaptered fics and novels, or are we all trying to one-up each other nowadays? :D

[harmony_bites]

No--this Exchange is unusual. We actually haven't had that many novels yet--last time we had 8--so far this time we've had two--Personas Contraras and the threesome. But usually, the overwhelming majority of fics are one-shots--a glimpse at my spreadsheet, each sheet a prior one, confirms this--we have had MUCH more multi-chapters this time.

1st Exchange: 7 novellas; 46 shorts
2nd Exchange: 1 novel; 6 novellas; 54 shorts
3rd Exchange: 9 novels; 23 novellas: 70 shorts

We're about half-way in this Exchange

4th Exhange: 2 novels; 22 novellas; 18 shorts

Only half way through--and we almost have more novellas than in the whole of other Exchanges--and more than shorts.

Not your imagination. I'm counting anything above 10,000 as a novella btw, as KIA and SSHG Awards do, though that's not the pro definition.

But surely this is a good thing? That we're bubbling with ideas?

[mundungus42]

I think it's wonderful! And it's not just an expansion in terms of word count- the shorts this round have included some fascinatingly experimental pieces and truly original writing. We're women on a mission: our entire ship is out to right the wrongs DH by any means necessary! :D

[harmony_bites]

our entire ship is out to right the wrongs DH by any means necessary! :D

It's what fanfic is for--and in that regard I've always maintained we're left better off postDH than any major ship. The Canon ships don't have as much reason for being--they have what they want. And while as people have pointed out, nothing in the epilogue definitely ties Hermione to Ron or those children, Harry and Ginny are definitely married and Draco to someone not Hermione or Ginny. Remus is most definitely dead--there not only was there a dead body but Remus has no reason to disappear and ties that would putt to the opposite.

I have a friend and fellow KIA reccer who reads in the other Het pairings--she says she can't think of one impressive post DH story in her ships--that most of the authors on her watch list have basically disappeared.

Not us :-)