What I am Reading
What I am Reading
Lately, I’ve found myself reccing fanfiction and authors like crazy. It seems it’s getting harder and harder to find good stuff, and, quite understandably, not everyone has the time and patience I have to browse and search archives, forums and people’s f-lists trying to find the latest (or oldest) good fic.
So I’ve decided I will use this journal for something else than posting comments on other people’s entries, and promote fics and authors I’ve found of my liking.
First of all, I imagine you’d like to know what I like to read. I like canon. My perfect idea of a fic is a missing moment of the books, and alternative points of view. I love authors who take canon characters and are able to expand them believably, and take little things and construct a whole parallel plot. That doesn’t mean I object to a good AU, only that I won’t be as quick to like them.
On the subject of ships, I like canon ships. It goes with my premise of expanding canon. I won’t object to something good that breaks canon ships, but I have a hard time accepting a ship between characters that, at first sight, have nothing to do with each other. For instance, I might read Harry/Luna, but if somebody shows me a Neville/Pansy I might reject it on principle.
I would read other ships when in comedy or parody, but not if taken seriously. I know I might be wrong. I’ve read BRILLANT Hermione/Goyle and Neville/Pansy, but those were exceptions- and exceptional.
In my youth, I was a fervent slasher. I still read the occasional Remus/Sirius, so you might find fics of this nature here. I was also into Harry/Draco, Snape/Lucius and Ginny/Luna. I don’t think you’ll find anything like that here anymore, but if you do, I promise it’ll be exceptional.
That’s all there is to say, I think. I hope you’ll enjoy them as I enjoyed them.
I also hope that, if you stumble on something good that isn’t listed here, you’ll recc it to me. You already know what I like.
Rules of Reccing
1. I do not rec fics that are WIPs (though I might write about them if they’re related to another story listed here, or on the Author section)
2. All fics listed here are WELL WRITTEN. By that, I mean perfect grammar/punctuation, etc. I simply cannot read something written by a gud riter. I’m a grammar nazi. Comes with English being a learned tongue. It takes time to shake all the conventions drilled in your head by the language teachers.
3. I, of course, only rec things I’ve truly, truly enjoyed. I’ve read other things I’ve liked, but it doesn’t mean they will all appear here.
Authors
The ones in this section are here because I’ve read pretty much everything they’ve written, and if I had to list their stories I would have to list all of them (or a lot, if not all).
FernWithy
Can be found: fernwithy Site
She is my top writer, all times. She has the talent to grab canon and make it her own, expanding it beautifully and respecting almost everything JKR did- her universe does not show things that wouldn’t fit in canon, and plays by JKR rules. She is the perfect complement to the Harry Potter series.
So far, she’s written five big novels, dozens of short fics and one shots, and thousands of drabble-like small things. Her universe, Shiftsverse we could call it, consists of Order of the Phoenix on Remus’ point of view (Shifts), Half-Blood Prince on Tonks’ point of view (Shades), and the Teddy Lupin years One (Forest Guard), Three (Hunter’s Moon) and Five (Deadalus’ Maze). There’s also Stray, Goblet of Fire on Sirius’ point of view, but that one is a WIP, on hiatus since the publication of Deathly Hallows.
There are also several small things on Remus’ and Tonks’ childhoods and past, and even little moments between other minor characters, both from the past and from the future. Everything she writes goes tided up on the same universe (except when things get de-canon-ed, then they’re disgarded and marked as AU).
We could say that everything is gen. There’s romance, of course- the first two stories are about Remus and Tonks, but the plot is generally stronger than the romance, and there are not too many cheesy scenes. The action scenes compensate for them.
I cannot begin to explain the pleasure it gives to read this stories. It is full of little things that make you happy. She ages characters well (her adult!Trio are amazing, and so is her schoolgirl!McGonagall), understands human psychology and is a mistress at plotting.
And she updates really, really fast. Every two days- fast. That’s something well worth knowing.
Sam the Story-Teller
Can be found: sam_storyteller FictionAlley Profile
I wasn’t going to recc him, but I couldn’t not to. I got all my kicks out of his work during 2006 and the first part of 2007. He doesn’t seem to be writing Harry Potter anymore, but some of his previous works are worth taking a look at.
If you’re into massive AUs and Remus/Sirius-raising-Harry, you’ve GOT to check this one out. The premise is: Lucius got there first. What does it mean? Lucius got Peter first. Hence, Lucius is in Azkaban, Sirius was free to explain the bluff with Peter, and currently (1988, I think) owns a bookshop and lives near Privet Drive, keeping an eye on Harry from afar. Until one day Harry stumbles into the bookshop, trying to get away from Dudley, and they just can’t resist temptation to lend him books and make him want to visit them again. And then they realize Petunia and Vernon are simply NOT taking good care of him. So they kidnap Harry.
Oh, and Bellatrix escapes Azkaban. Good timing, ha?
The story is amazing, very well written, and with brilliant characterizations. It’s great how he takes Harry (the Harry we know), changes his life and shows how he acts accordingly to both things- a boy with a happier, more normal family life, and the same Harry from the books.
Year I and Year II at Hogwarts (Laocoon’s Children) are finished, but the story was abandoned midway Year III. Sam also writes Torchwood, Heroes, Doctor Who stuff and others which are all worth a look if you’re into those fandoms.
Nonjon
Can be found: FanFiction.net Profile
If you’re into Supersmart!Harry, Independent!Harry, this is definitely something to read. I’m not into those things, and still found them hilarious and good.
Most of this works have an intelligent if somewhat odd plot or premise, and the characters are generally a bit OOC, and most do not follow logic at all (or follow it too much- it’s rather difficult to explain). Still, if you’re looking for something entertaining, to laugh, these are full of intelligent humor and complicated plots that keep your brain working. There are several short pieces, like the DA Missions, which are incredibly funny, and a few lengthier stories, like A Black Comedy, which are well plotted and highly enjoyable.
TwistedBiscuit
Can be found: FanFiction.net Profile
She’s not writing anymore, but her old stuff is still there. Mostly there is comedy. Lots of comedy. Roll on the floor laughing comedy. There’s not much more to say, only that this is a good resource for a hard day’s night. It has brightened me up during hard times, and even on 6th re-read I still laugh at the jokes. Reccs: Just a Random Tuesday, Cockandbull Correspondence from a Cupboard, A Sarcastic Git’s Golden Rules at Hogwarts. Hilarious. Waking-up-your-family-by-laughing-too-hard-at-three-am-hilarious.
After the Rain
Can be found: FictionAlley Profile a_t_rain
She hasn’t been writing lately, and most of her stuff is quite old (post Order, mostly). Still, she combines comedy and war and grievance wonderfully. Witty dialogues, crazy plot lines, lovable characters. What I enjoyed the most was the trilogy (An Interesting Little Legal Problem, The Purloined Prophetess, Remedial History), set right after Sirius died. The first follows Harry’ POV during the summer (a highly eventful summer), the second is a series of diary entries by different Order characters (quite hilarious) during the school year, the third, Theodore Nott’s POV of how Draco Malfoy creates his own version of the DA (for Purebloods only), and how he discovers what truly happened to his late elder sister Lavinia and her (also late) muggle boyfriend (the two stories are connected and run parallel). There’s a lot of Shakespeare references here, along with a few other classics. It’s all quite smartly tied up, and that makes it enjoyable. There are several one shots that have cracked a smile on my face during bad days, and a couple of other novel lengths that are very interesting too.
Stories
Alexandra Quick and the Thorn Circle At: FictionAlley
Author: Inverarity.
Genre: gen
Length: novel-length.
Written: post-DH
Happens: The story takes place during 2007/2008.
Alexandra is a muggleborn girl who never met her father, and lives a relatively normal life with her Mum and her stepfather. She knows she can do magic and is visibly talented, until she arrives to Charmbridge Academy, one of the Big Four magic schools in the States and discovers a whole world where she has a LOT to learn, not only about magic, but also about her mysterious father.
One of the things I like best about this fic is the exposition of culture, and how magical States are consistent with magical Britain and, er, the States. The author plays by JKR rules, but you can still see we’re ten years into the future and in another continent, in a multicultural society. We get to see the remnants of an old pureblood society and other cultural groups, like immigrant communities, and Amish groups. Apart from that, which makes it a thoroughly enjoyable read, there’s a fantastic plot and well constructed characters. Alexandra is strong headed, reckless and dislikes authority. She makes a lot of mistakes, and is punished for them, but she is also a lovable prota, and one of the most realistic eleven-year-old I have ever found. The author promised a sequel, but nothing has come out yet.
Recall Alice when she was just small At: FanFiction.net
Author: Harmonic Friction
Genre: Gen, I think.
Length: novel-length.
Characters: Dudley. Lots of Dudley.
Written: post-DH
Happens: from summer 1995 to June, I think, 1998. There’s a couple of final chapters into the future- 4 years and 19 years, I think.
Warnings: drugs, alcohol, unprotected sex, everything you can think of.
If you’re into teenage drama, this is GREAT. It begins the summer between Goblet and Order, a summer of hell and delicious teenage self destruction. Then a lot of bad things happen to Dudley, including a Dementor attack he still doesn’t completely understand, and slowly, realizes this is not the life he wants.
It’s a bittersweet story, about how Petunia and Vernon fucked up Dudley as much as they fucked up Harry. It’s about having a crappy life with crappy friends and a crappy girlfriend, and then trying to have something better. This is the best Dudley I’ve found on fanfic, is consistent with canon and at the same time it shows him in a completely new light (in an over-18 rating new light). Dudley’s recovery is sincere and realistic- he’s still Vernon’s kid. This is not a soap opera, like 99% rehabilitation fics out there. We could say it’s a bit like watching Skins, only a bit more realistic.
By this author there’s also Harry’s POV for some of the first chapters, and I couldn’t recc it enough. The summary says “Harry Potter on drugs”, and the very first thing that comes to mind when you read that are horrible emo!Harry junk, but YOU COULDN’T BE MORE WRONG. I say those are the censored first chapters of Order of the Phoenix. Seriously.
For Bitter or for Worse At: FanFiction.net
Author: Kerichi
Genre: Romance
Length: Novel-length
Characters: George/Alicia
Written: post-DH
Happens: right after DH.
If you are a Weasley twins fan and were heart-broken when Fred died, and annoyed at JKR because we don’t know how George is coping, this is where you go. This is a story about how George picks up the pieces and gets to form a new family. It’s fluffy, and sappy, but nice, enjoyable, and heart-warming. I’m not a fan of romance, but this is one of the few I’ve actually eagerly expected for every update. It disregards the family tree, since he ends up with Alicia instead of Angelina, but that’s a minor detail. George and Alicia go through rough times and happy times as they discover each other and deal with their issues.
Sherlock Holmes and the Ravenclaw Codex At: The Author's LJ tags
Author: dolorous_ett
Genre: Murder-mystery. Is that a genre? Well, there’s no murder, but you know what I mean, right? Also, Crossover.
Length: novel-length
Characters: Sherlock, Watson, Phineas Nigellus Black.
Happens: During Phineas’ tenure as Headmaster.
I know, I know. You see the word crossover, you ran to the opposite direction. I do too. Generally, because this is one of those MARVELLOUS exceptions, where everything you believe is shaken. A good crossover, who would’ve thought?
Victorian Britain, Sherlock Holmes, Phineas Nigellus and the most important Ravenclaw relic stolen. Can it possibly get any better? Believe me, it can. So the Ravenclaw Codex was stolen, and nobody has a clue, and Phineas is forced to go to the most celebrated muggle investigator- Sherlock Holmes. The story couldn’t be more amazing. Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for Victorian society (they are so much fun), Blacks and detective stories. Either way, the mistery is brilliant, Sherlock and Watson are very IC and so is Phineas. There are sequels in progress (another Sherlock, possibilities of a Miss Marple), but meanwhile, this is something not to be missed.
Roger and Lisa, a Romance At PhoenixSong Archive
Author: St. Margarets
Genre: Romance (duh!)
Length: novel-length
Characters: Lisa Turpin/Roger Davies, Padma Patil/George Weasley
Written: post-HBP
Happens: ten years after book 7, I’d say.
So, this is a romance. And old school romance, sappy, fluffly, a bit of drama. Still, nice and enjoyable. There is a plot besides the romance, which makes it a good read. There’s not much more to say, really, only that I liked it, it is well written and features a happy George with an alive twin, and that makes me happy. Seriously, though, I thought it was one of the most believable!young adults!Harry’s classmates I found.
A Headmistress’ Tale. At this com
Author: cavgirl
Genre: gen
Length: one-shot.
Characters: Elizabeth I. Yeah, the Tudor Queen.
Happens: During Elizabeth I’s life-time.
It’s a weird experiment that came off quite nicely. I’m not generally great on historical characters that turn out to be wizards, but this one actually sounds believable. Ann Boleyn WAS a witch, and so was her daughter. Elizabeth was taken to Hogwarts while her sister Queen Mary believed her to be on house arrest. Then, she became a queen who made things a little easier on the witches and wizards of Great Britain, and later came back to Hogwarts to be a Headmistress. It’s all quite short, but awesome.
To Be a Customer At This entry of the Author's LJ
Author: vegablack62
Genre: …gen?
Length: one-shot
Characters: a house-elf, Madam Malkin, Ron Weasley.
Written: post-DH
Happens: at some point in those nineteen years. Quite early, I’d say.
This story is about a house elf enjoying the new liberties of the post-Voldemort (and Trio at the Ministry) era. It is very, very interesting. It’s about moving forward on the social ladder, it’s about progress, it’s about society. It’s just a short piece that I have compared with one of the most interesting short-stories in Argentine Literature of the 20th century. If you are into this kind of thing, go read it. Now.
The Very Secret Diary At SugarQuill
Author: Arabella
Genre: …horror? Epistolary.
Length: novel-length
Characters: Ginny, Tom Riddle.
Written: Well, Ginny’s name is Virginia here. But we can just dismiss it.
Happens: during book 2.
This is everything written in Riddle’s Diary during Chamber of Secrets. It is AMAZING. God, Tom Riddle was so seductive that I felt utterly convinced. He very slowly goes from charming to scary to terrifying, and how Ginny fights him- uh, god, if you were EVER curious about it, go check this out. It is scary. Frightening. Did you ever had that feeling of utter impotency? You sit there while the poor child is bewitched, and you know what she’s going to do, and you just want to get into your computer and save her yourself. When a fic gets into your head like that, you have to share it with the world. It was terribly difficult to detach myself.
Since the fic is only about what was written in the diary, there’s a sequel on Dumbledore’s POV about the outcome, when Ginny is taken to the Hospital Wing and he goes to talk to her. Make sure you remember to read that after this one.
Pain and Magic. At this comm
Author: violet_quill
Genre: comedy. Crossover.
Length: one-shot
Characters: Severus Snape, Dr. Gregory House.
Written: not sure, before DH. I mean, Snape is alive, and House can’t be after Season 2 or 3.
Happens: good ten years into the future, I think, from book 7.
A match made from Hell. A British men was found passed out in an alley, with severe injuries. Also, he claims he’s a wizard. *chuckles* Just imagine Snape and House in one room. Just imagine Snape consenting to be treated with muggle medicine. This is a small piece, well worth reading if you’ve ever watched House. Hilarious.
Pass the Snog At FanFiction.net
Author: KT the Shimmer Skank
Genre: comedy.
Length: short novel.
Characters: half of Hogwarts.
Written: a long time ago.
Happens: while the twins were still at Hogwarts.
If you’ve never read Pass the Snog, where have you been hiding? One morning, George Weasley gets out of bed and tells everyone he found an obscure Hogwarts tradition he intends to revive. During Pass the Snog day, if you keep the snog, something highly unpleasant will happen to you, and stick until you snog somebody next year. It’s all very silly and funny, perfect for a bored evening or during your work day- :P
Nymphadora Tonks and the Liquor of Jacmel At FictionAlley
Author: SnorkackCatcher snorkfics
Genre: Gen
Length: novel-length.
Characters: Tonks, Kingsley, other Aurors, her parents.
Written: Between Order and Prince, if I’m not mistaken, but I don’t think there’s anything de-canon-ed (I do remember it was updated when Prince came out, changing a couple small things).
Happens: During Goblet.
This is Tonks’ first year as an Auror. Not only she has to deal with the prejudices that come with being Bellatrix and Sirius’ niece, but also on the general terms of being a rookie. It’s a perfect crime investigation fic, full of other stuff as well- all normal kinds of stuff every twenty-something has to deal with- parents, boss, boyfriend, friends. But mostly, it is all about solving the problem of a very dangerous substance being imported into Great Britain.
On his LJ, the author has other fantastic stuff. I take the liberty of reccing Solving the Clues- takes time during DH, and is very, very nice.
Lesson Plans. At FictionAlley
Author: Magnolia Mama
Genre: gen
Length: short novel.
Characters: Hermione, Goyle. Yeah, this is the one I told you about.
Written: Between Order and HBP.
Happens: during sixth year.
Goyle is about to fail several subjects, and McGonagall encourages him to go to Hermione Granger. At first, she’s not very enthusiastic, but when she realizes that Goyle’s main problem is his undiagnosed dyslexia, she takes on the project eagerly (and enjoys the chance to rant about the magical education system). It’s very interesting and also very sweet.
The Necromancer Amulet At FictionAlley
Author: Perhenwen
Genre: gen.
Length: novel-length
Characters: Durmstrang’s Dark Arts teacher, everyone at Hogwarts.
Written: between Order and HBP.
Happens: during sixth and seventh years, a bit into the future.
Durmstrang was taken by Voldemort, but not all of its teachers are supporters. Secessa Lavuroba and a couple of her workmates certainly aren’t, and have to protect a very important weapon from Voldemort. Not knowing what else to do, she goes to Dumbledore.
I liked this fic because it explores tangents JKR didn’t. Dark Magic used by the good guys, magical beasts used by the Dark Side, foreign elements intervening. Everything is used masterfully, and on those grounds alone, the story is very interesting to read. It is also a not very romantic romance between Snape and Seccessa. It is amazing to watch them fall in love and remain detached, cold and calculating. It is definitely the best Snape-in-love I’ve ever read.
A Little More Time At FanFiction.net
Author: jesspallas
Genre: gen
Length: novel-length
Characters: Teddy Lupin, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, the rest of the crowd.
Written: after DH
Happens: right after the Epilogue.
Teddy Lupin is an Unspeakable, and finds a way to get his parents back. Who can blame him? Well, the wizengamot won’t like it. That’s for sure. This story is for those who wept at the injustice of it all, and just want-them-back. It is very interesting and very well written, full of poignant moments, and with a very interesting legal battle. The characterizations are great, especially those of Tonks and Remus, who are very IC and consistent with the little canon time they had.
Well, that’s all I can think of for now. I’m sure I’m forgetting someone, or something, and will feel very embarrassed in the morning. But it doesn’t matter, I will add new things in separate entries, and update this post, which will remain at the top.