Yuletide recs!
I've been away for New Years this year, and we're moving, so I'm only barely managing to squeeze a few recs in before the reveal. *phew*
I was blessed, this year, with the absolutely stunning Prometheus story On, One, Many - and why it still has less than 60 hits is quite simply beyond me. It is a fantastic work in its own right; far, far surpassing the film, and highly entertaining in its own right. Disregard the connection to canon, and you have an excellent science fiction story about identity, personhood, sense of self, love, sex, the nature of emotions, family and ethics, all entertainingly and captivatingly written. If the author doesn't know me personally, I'm tempted to think they must be psychic. Go! Read! You really don't need to know canon at all, nor does it matter one iota if you hated or disliked the film. This is quite simply excellent writing!
Stupid!Watson and his jam might be a tiresome old meme for some, but in the Hark! A Vagrant story A Quite Different Case of Identity, the joke is still funny, and the characters of that comic explored further. (Yes, it is possible!) But the main appeal is, of course, the addition of amature cranksmen Raffles and Bunny to the mix! I only wish there were more of it, but then again, short and sweet tends to work best with these sorts of stories.
In the Portal story The Silence of the Test Subject, we are presented with an alternate ending for the game which not only rings true, but almost makes you wish it was an in-game alternative. Computer game narratives are difficult, particularly with - well, as the title says - but this author manages wonderfully.
I will admit I am generally wary of reading Sherlock RPF stories, as I'm quite picky when it comes to characterization, but Method is a gorgeous little thing. So sweet and true to how I personally like to think of Benedict Cumberbatch's public persona. Rather a lovely thing.
There is only one Blackadder story this year, but it is wonderful; Pain and Painting reads exactly like scenes from an episode of the third series, which happens to be my favorite. The banter between Blackadder and Prince George is perfectly captured, as is the tone of the show, which is no mean feat!
One of my absolute favorites this year is the Jeeves & Wooster gem Jeeves and the Amatory Dilemma. Jeeves secretly pining for Bertie and the latter slowly finding out and solving the mystery may be a fandom staple, but I'm rather partial to it, especially when it's so expertly done. What I like about this story in particular, is the way the author manages to show a vulnerable Jeeves without it seeming out of character. A must-read!
I'm a huge fan of Isaac Asimov, and Yuletide always brings some great stories from his universes. This year, we've got Perigee; a Powell and Donovan story. I have to say, I enjoyed this a lot more than I did Asimov's original stories featuring them; I was always more of a Susan Calvin (who does get a cameo appearance) fan, though I ate all the robot novels up. There is slash here, which I personally very much enjoy, but cut the last few paragraphs, and it could happily all be written by the man himself.
I was blessed, this year, with the absolutely stunning Prometheus story On, One, Many - and why it still has less than 60 hits is quite simply beyond me. It is a fantastic work in its own right; far, far surpassing the film, and highly entertaining in its own right. Disregard the connection to canon, and you have an excellent science fiction story about identity, personhood, sense of self, love, sex, the nature of emotions, family and ethics, all entertainingly and captivatingly written. If the author doesn't know me personally, I'm tempted to think they must be psychic. Go! Read! You really don't need to know canon at all, nor does it matter one iota if you hated or disliked the film. This is quite simply excellent writing!
Stupid!Watson and his jam might be a tiresome old meme for some, but in the Hark! A Vagrant story A Quite Different Case of Identity, the joke is still funny, and the characters of that comic explored further. (Yes, it is possible!) But the main appeal is, of course, the addition of amature cranksmen Raffles and Bunny to the mix! I only wish there were more of it, but then again, short and sweet tends to work best with these sorts of stories.
In the Portal story The Silence of the Test Subject, we are presented with an alternate ending for the game which not only rings true, but almost makes you wish it was an in-game alternative. Computer game narratives are difficult, particularly with - well, as the title says - but this author manages wonderfully.
I will admit I am generally wary of reading Sherlock RPF stories, as I'm quite picky when it comes to characterization, but Method is a gorgeous little thing. So sweet and true to how I personally like to think of Benedict Cumberbatch's public persona. Rather a lovely thing.
There is only one Blackadder story this year, but it is wonderful; Pain and Painting reads exactly like scenes from an episode of the third series, which happens to be my favorite. The banter between Blackadder and Prince George is perfectly captured, as is the tone of the show, which is no mean feat!
One of my absolute favorites this year is the Jeeves & Wooster gem Jeeves and the Amatory Dilemma. Jeeves secretly pining for Bertie and the latter slowly finding out and solving the mystery may be a fandom staple, but I'm rather partial to it, especially when it's so expertly done. What I like about this story in particular, is the way the author manages to show a vulnerable Jeeves without it seeming out of character. A must-read!
I'm a huge fan of Isaac Asimov, and Yuletide always brings some great stories from his universes. This year, we've got Perigee; a Powell and Donovan story. I have to say, I enjoyed this a lot more than I did Asimov's original stories featuring them; I was always more of a Susan Calvin (who does get a cameo appearance) fan, though I ate all the robot novels up. There is slash here, which I personally very much enjoy, but cut the last few paragraphs, and it could happily all be written by the man himself.