some longfic Yuletide recs
Whew, draft of Festivid done. (Except for figuring out how to do the titles, which, oog.) But this means I can turn some attention to other things, like reccing some of the stories I've enjoyed from Yuletide.
This year, I'm...really not into that many fandoms. I started reading stories in 'fandoms' I like, but honestly, I didn't find them that appealing, and I'm not sure why. I had much better luck with stories which stand alone as original work. So except as noted, these stories are all readable without canon knowledge. And since they don't depend on the reader knowing canon, they're all relatively long, and rich with detail.
These first two stories are not just among the best I've read this Yuletide, but the best I've read, period.
Rest and be thankful (32955 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: The Sherwood Ring - Elizabeth Marie Pope, The People - Zenna Henderson
Rating: General Audiences
Characters: Peaceable Drummond Sherwood, Eleanor Shipley, Richard Grahame, Barbara Grahame, lots of original characters
Summary: Perdita follows a fifty year old revenant to Rest-and-be-thankful, to discover a mystery, a circle, and romance.
I'm a big fan of The People stories, although not familiar with The Sherwood Ring. (
riverlight (whose gift this story is) has a good short explanation of these sources here.) The canonical themes of belonging and family, as well as the gently supernatural, are very nicely treated in this somewhat-of-a-mystery set during a historical re-enactment in an old mansion, but you don't need to know anything about either canon. Really gorgeous, and I was teary-eyed at the end.
How Many Strawberries Grow in the Sea? (20922 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Wooden Horse Series - Eric Williams, The Charioteer - Mary Renault
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Peter Howard/John Clinton
Characters: Peter Howard, John Clinton, Nigel Wilde, Ralph Lanyon
Summary: Back in Britain following the escape, John is alone with the impossible questions.
Again, I only knew the source which is the less-prominent in this crossover (The Charioteer seems cross-over-able with everything, doesn't it!) but it's quite readable as original. The Wooden Horse series is apparently two books about an escape from a WWII POW camp; this fic is about one of the men who escaped, and his difficulty in reconciling what happened then (including an affair with another soldier) with life outside, during his military debriefing.
Springtime Will Kill You (15379 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Greek and Roman Mythology
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Characters: Everyone from Greek and Roman Mythology.
Summary: Orpheus doesn't think much about his life before he was a private detective. But when he's hired to search for a missing girl, he'll have to take on Hollywood royalty, hired killers, and maybe, finally, himself.
This is a splendid noir retelling of the Orpheus myth, with a distinct and clever narrative voice. It helps to have a general idea of the myth, though it's not necessary.
On Solitude (15123 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Rating: General Audiences
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, Preserved Killick, Barrett Bonden
Summary: Jack and Stephen accidentally become telepathically bonded, but Stephen still has to complete his mission in Minorca.
A thoughtful treatment of the soulbond trope, this delightful pastiche retains the language and humor of the original books. I am not sure this is nearly as interesting if you don't know the canon, though.
Also posted on Dreamwidth where there are
comments.
This year, I'm...really not into that many fandoms. I started reading stories in 'fandoms' I like, but honestly, I didn't find them that appealing, and I'm not sure why. I had much better luck with stories which stand alone as original work. So except as noted, these stories are all readable without canon knowledge. And since they don't depend on the reader knowing canon, they're all relatively long, and rich with detail.
These first two stories are not just among the best I've read this Yuletide, but the best I've read, period.
Rest and be thankful (32955 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: The Sherwood Ring - Elizabeth Marie Pope, The People - Zenna Henderson
Rating: General Audiences
Characters: Peaceable Drummond Sherwood, Eleanor Shipley, Richard Grahame, Barbara Grahame, lots of original characters
Summary: Perdita follows a fifty year old revenant to Rest-and-be-thankful, to discover a mystery, a circle, and romance.
I'm a big fan of The People stories, although not familiar with The Sherwood Ring. (
riverlight (whose gift this story is) has a good short explanation of these sources here.) The canonical themes of belonging and family, as well as the gently supernatural, are very nicely treated in this somewhat-of-a-mystery set during a historical re-enactment in an old mansion, but you don't need to know anything about either canon. Really gorgeous, and I was teary-eyed at the end.
How Many Strawberries Grow in the Sea? (20922 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Wooden Horse Series - Eric Williams, The Charioteer - Mary Renault
Rating: Explicit
Relationships: Peter Howard/John Clinton
Characters: Peter Howard, John Clinton, Nigel Wilde, Ralph Lanyon
Summary: Back in Britain following the escape, John is alone with the impossible questions.
Again, I only knew the source which is the less-prominent in this crossover (The Charioteer seems cross-over-able with everything, doesn't it!) but it's quite readable as original. The Wooden Horse series is apparently two books about an escape from a WWII POW camp; this fic is about one of the men who escaped, and his difficulty in reconciling what happened then (including an affair with another soldier) with life outside, during his military debriefing.
Springtime Will Kill You (15379 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Greek and Roman Mythology
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Characters: Everyone from Greek and Roman Mythology.
Summary: Orpheus doesn't think much about his life before he was a private detective. But when he's hired to search for a missing girl, he'll have to take on Hollywood royalty, hired killers, and maybe, finally, himself.
This is a splendid noir retelling of the Orpheus myth, with a distinct and clever narrative voice. It helps to have a general idea of the myth, though it's not necessary.
On Solitude (15123 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Rating: General Audiences
Relationships: Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin
Characters: Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, Preserved Killick, Barrett Bonden
Summary: Jack and Stephen accidentally become telepathically bonded, but Stephen still has to complete his mission in Minorca.
A thoughtful treatment of the soulbond trope, this delightful pastiche retains the language and humor of the original books. I am not sure this is nearly as interesting if you don't know the canon, though.
Also posted on Dreamwidth where there are
comments.