Million-Word Challenge: # is for 1918, E is for The End Where We Begin...
H is for The House of Silk, X is for Xander Harris, Greek God
It's been more than a week since my last challenge post, and I haven't been doing a lot of reading. I did finish a very long fic that I've been working on, however, so the point total for this post is still high.
1918 by rabidsamfan is a crossover between Sherlock Holmes and the Lord Peter Wimsey series. Not a lot happens in this fic, but it's fine as an account of how the two detectives could have crossed paths. We think of them as from entirely different eras, but their biographies do have points of contact. 1,371 words. Gen.
The End Where We Begin by Ingu is a fic based on the Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie. It echos the premise of Taliesin's Revenant Series, based on the TV show, which I read last month. In both, Napoleon is a ghost and haunting a living Illya. Many of the details of this fic are different, though, most notably that the two start out as enemies rather than partners. Enemies-to-lovers isn't really my trope, and I wasn't sure at first that I was going to like this fic, but it turned out to be very engaging and even moving in places. 21,592 words. Napoleon/Illya slash. Particularly recommended.
(The squares for this fic are not colored blue, because enough changes, especially to character, were made in the movie that I view it as distinct from the MFU TV series. I think most others do as well; there are few authors who write fanfic for both. I liked the movie, though, even if the public at large apparently did not, and I enjoy an occasional fic based on it.)
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz is a commercially published Sherlock Holmes novel in the style of the original stories. It is very good: atmospheric, suspenseful, surprising, with excellent dialog and characterizations of all the familiar characters. There were some things I didn't like about the ending, but overall, it was a fine read. I recommend the audiobook. 94,662 words (according to this site). Gen. Particularly recommended.
Comments with spoilers:
[Spoiler (click to open)]The part I didn't like was that the mystery involving the Flat Cap Gang proved to be completely unrelated to the House of Silk, yet was not resolved until the very end of the story. The conclusion of that plot thread felt like an anticlimax after the unmasking of the menacing conspiracy, the raid on the House, and the carriage chase. The revelation of Mrs. Carstairs identity also felt a bit gimmicky and silly, particularly next to the serious issue of child sexual slavery.
Xander Harris, Greek God by Vacillating is a fic based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is basically crack fic, and it didn't work for me. It was aiming for comedy but struck me as simply dumb. It also badly needed whatever the American equivalent of a Britpicker is. I assume such a thing exists, though I've never seen anyone requesting or crediting one. 1,833 words. Xander/Anya het.
Total Points: 490
#: 4 points
1991 by SkyborneVeggies (1 point; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
4 Vignettes With No Kissing & 1 Ex-Yacht by captain_starcat (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
1918 by rabidsamfan (1 point; Sherlock Holmes x Lord Peter Wimsey)
A: 29 points
*All the Kasha They Could Eat by Jest (7 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*After the World Went Awry by teaspoonnebula (22 points; Sherlock Holmes)
B: 19 points
*The Bronze Metal Lover by stew (15 points; The Professionals x The Silver Metal Lover)
Brave Little Rabbit by jj_minerva (2 points; Raffles)
Blind Man's Bluff ? by fiorenza_a (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
C: 1 point
*Cold War, part of the Dirty Computer series by jat_sapphire (1 point; The Professionals)
D: 15 points
*Dreamed That Man Was I by Taliesin (14 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Dream a Highway by marginalia (1 point; Pancho and Lefty)
E: 21 points
*The End Where We Begin by Ingu (21 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (movie))
F: 32 points
*The 'Fine and Private Place' Affair by Taliesin (32 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
G: 45 points
The Gyptian Caravan Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (20 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
*The Gemini Factor by Russ (25 points; The Professionals x Who Dares Wins)
H: 94 points
*The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (94 points; Sherlock Holmes)
I: 54 points
Island Innocents by Glen Fiddich (54 points; The Professionals)
L: 30 points
*Lefty Sings the Blues by MirrorMasque (3 points; Pancho and Lefty)
An unnamed fic starting with L (27 points)
M: 26 points
*More Deaths Than One by Taliesin (24 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Monkey Suits With Satin and Lace by Joana Dey (2 points; The Professionals)
N: 3 points
The Not Exactly Affair by dancingpony (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
No wonder, no wonder by regshoe (1 point; Willy o Winsbury)
O: 2 points
Once and Future by oliviacirce (2 points; Winter Solstice, Camelot Station)
Q: 2 points
Quaint by kathkin (2 points; Doctor Who)
R: 2 points
Rift by MonkeyBard (1 point; The A-Team)
*Run, Rabbit, Run by PR Zed (1 point; The Professionals x Blade Runner)
S: 43 points
*Spiderweb by Cord Smithee (12 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*The Singing of Many Wires by teaspoonnebula (18 points; Sherlock Holmes)
The Steppes of Central Asia Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (13 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
T: 2 points
*Time-Crossed Lovers by Jane Carnall and Ann Johnson (2 points; The Professionals)
U: 5 points
*Unit I, Series LYA: Press to Activate by Orockthro (3 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Untitled by Russ (2 points; meta)
V: 32 points
Voyages of the CI5 by hutchynstarsk (32 points; The Professionals)
W: 7 points
*Wicked by Cord Smithee (4 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Walking Wounded by Linda S. Maclaren (2 points; The Professionals)
Winter Solstice, Camelot Station by John M. Ford (1 point; Arthurian legend)
X: 1 point
Xander Harris, Greek God by Vacillating (1 point; Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Y: 21 points
An unnamed fic starting with Y (21 points)
* = Particularly recommended.
It's been more than a week since my last challenge post, and I haven't been doing a lot of reading. I did finish a very long fic that I've been working on, however, so the point total for this post is still high.
1918 by rabidsamfan is a crossover between Sherlock Holmes and the Lord Peter Wimsey series. Not a lot happens in this fic, but it's fine as an account of how the two detectives could have crossed paths. We think of them as from entirely different eras, but their biographies do have points of contact. 1,371 words. Gen.
The End Where We Begin by Ingu is a fic based on the Man from U.N.C.L.E. movie. It echos the premise of Taliesin's Revenant Series, based on the TV show, which I read last month. In both, Napoleon is a ghost and haunting a living Illya. Many of the details of this fic are different, though, most notably that the two start out as enemies rather than partners. Enemies-to-lovers isn't really my trope, and I wasn't sure at first that I was going to like this fic, but it turned out to be very engaging and even moving in places. 21,592 words. Napoleon/Illya slash. Particularly recommended.
(The squares for this fic are not colored blue, because enough changes, especially to character, were made in the movie that I view it as distinct from the MFU TV series. I think most others do as well; there are few authors who write fanfic for both. I liked the movie, though, even if the public at large apparently did not, and I enjoy an occasional fic based on it.)
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz is a commercially published Sherlock Holmes novel in the style of the original stories. It is very good: atmospheric, suspenseful, surprising, with excellent dialog and characterizations of all the familiar characters. There were some things I didn't like about the ending, but overall, it was a fine read. I recommend the audiobook. 94,662 words (according to this site). Gen. Particularly recommended.
Comments with spoilers:
[Spoiler (click to open)]The part I didn't like was that the mystery involving the Flat Cap Gang proved to be completely unrelated to the House of Silk, yet was not resolved until the very end of the story. The conclusion of that plot thread felt like an anticlimax after the unmasking of the menacing conspiracy, the raid on the House, and the carriage chase. The revelation of Mrs. Carstairs identity also felt a bit gimmicky and silly, particularly next to the serious issue of child sexual slavery.
Xander Harris, Greek God by Vacillating is a fic based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is basically crack fic, and it didn't work for me. It was aiming for comedy but struck me as simply dumb. It also badly needed whatever the American equivalent of a Britpicker is. I assume such a thing exists, though I've never seen anyone requesting or crediting one. 1,833 words. Xander/Anya het.
Total Points: 490
#: 4 points
1991 by SkyborneVeggies (1 point; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
4 Vignettes With No Kissing & 1 Ex-Yacht by captain_starcat (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
1918 by rabidsamfan (1 point; Sherlock Holmes x Lord Peter Wimsey)
A: 29 points
*All the Kasha They Could Eat by Jest (7 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*After the World Went Awry by teaspoonnebula (22 points; Sherlock Holmes)
B: 19 points
*The Bronze Metal Lover by stew (15 points; The Professionals x The Silver Metal Lover)
Brave Little Rabbit by jj_minerva (2 points; Raffles)
Blind Man's Bluff ? by fiorenza_a (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
C: 1 point
*Cold War, part of the Dirty Computer series by jat_sapphire (1 point; The Professionals)
D: 15 points
*Dreamed That Man Was I by Taliesin (14 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Dream a Highway by marginalia (1 point; Pancho and Lefty)
E: 21 points
*The End Where We Begin by Ingu (21 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (movie))
F: 32 points
*The 'Fine and Private Place' Affair by Taliesin (32 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
G: 45 points
The Gyptian Caravan Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (20 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
*The Gemini Factor by Russ (25 points; The Professionals x Who Dares Wins)
H: 94 points
*The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (94 points; Sherlock Holmes)
I: 54 points
Island Innocents by Glen Fiddich (54 points; The Professionals)
L: 30 points
*Lefty Sings the Blues by MirrorMasque (3 points; Pancho and Lefty)
An unnamed fic starting with L (27 points)
M: 26 points
*More Deaths Than One by Taliesin (24 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Monkey Suits With Satin and Lace by Joana Dey (2 points; The Professionals)
N: 3 points
The Not Exactly Affair by dancingpony (2 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
No wonder, no wonder by regshoe (1 point; Willy o Winsbury)
O: 2 points
Once and Future by oliviacirce (2 points; Winter Solstice, Camelot Station)
Q: 2 points
Quaint by kathkin (2 points; Doctor Who)
R: 2 points
Rift by MonkeyBard (1 point; The A-Team)
*Run, Rabbit, Run by PR Zed (1 point; The Professionals x Blade Runner)
S: 43 points
*Spiderweb by Cord Smithee (12 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
*The Singing of Many Wires by teaspoonnebula (18 points; Sherlock Holmes)
The Steppes of Central Asia Affair by Taylor Dancinghands (13 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E. x His Dark Materials)
T: 2 points
*Time-Crossed Lovers by Jane Carnall and Ann Johnson (2 points; The Professionals)
U: 5 points
*Unit I, Series LYA: Press to Activate by Orockthro (3 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Untitled by Russ (2 points; meta)
V: 32 points
Voyages of the CI5 by hutchynstarsk (32 points; The Professionals)
W: 7 points
*Wicked by Cord Smithee (4 points; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.)
Walking Wounded by Linda S. Maclaren (2 points; The Professionals)
Winter Solstice, Camelot Station by John M. Ford (1 point; Arthurian legend)
X: 1 point
Xander Harris, Greek God by Vacillating (1 point; Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Y: 21 points
An unnamed fic starting with Y (21 points)
* = Particularly recommended.