Fast Falls the Eventide by Kouri

Finding this story might be a bit confusing for some readers, since the only place that it’s posted is a friends-locked livejournal. Trust me, the story is worth it.

If you don’t have a livejournal, go get one. Log into your livejournal account. Go to Kouri and Karasu’s Ficlog. Post a comment on a recent entry asking to be friended. Within a day or two, they’ll add you to their list of friends and you’ll be able to read friends-locked posts. Then, just click on the link above!

For a few months, Fast Falls the Eventide was gone from the internet. Because of plagiarism, Kouri and Karasu took down all the original fiction from their website and weren’t sure they would ever post original fiction again. Luckily, they decided to post their original fic (minus the novels they’re submitting for publishing) on their friends-locked livejournal.

I’m grateful that Fast Falls the Eventide is finally back up, because it’s one of my favourite original fics on the net. It’s a slash romance, but it’s also an effectively creepy ghost story. Also, one of the main characters is a realistically mentally ill teenager, and I’m such a sucker for that.

The writing is emjoyable, the plot skillfully handled, and the story is intriguing. Oh, and Neil and Rowan are awfully cute together. What more can you ask for?

AU // Action // Character Death // Extreme Violence // Horror // Mystery // R // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy

Dynasty of Ghosts by P.L. Nunn

A young ranger, Illya, ends up becoming entangled with the prince heir. The fact that he can see ghosts is both a help and a hindrance.

Not my favourite original fic, but still really good. I think it was longer than it needed to be, but not so much that it was annoying. The plot seemed a little unfocused as well; I think it was because the climax comes at an odd point in the story, but Dynasty of Ghosts is still a great read.

30 Nov 06: Has now been published and is no longer available free online. You can get it as a paper book or as an ebook, although the price for either version is a bit steep for me.

Action // NC-17 // Rape // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Torture

Pathfinder by Rushlight

This is my least favourite of all the original fiction I’ve read lately, which isn’t saying much, since they’ve all been excellent. Pathfinder is a great story, excellently written, well-plotted, good characters, but it’s much too short. None of Shai’s experiences is told in enough depth for me to really get a handle on it.

Shai is a pathfinder; he has special senses as a result of past genetic tinkering. He’s also genetically destined to form an intense, permanent sexual relationship with a guide, someone who will help him to control his powers. Unfortunately, the ability to be a guide is also determined by genetics.

Action // NC-17 // Rape // Sci-fi/Fantasy

Stories of Periter by Ann Somerville

Really long, perhaps a little too long, but very good. The story of two men: Arman, a Prijian general in charge of the invasion of Darshian, and a Darshianese hostage, Kei. Aside from the interaction between the two, what makes this story so good is how it looks at the long-term effects of war. Ann Somerville has created a fully-realized world with all the problems of this world, even though on the surface it’s drastically different.

NC-17 // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy

The Administration by Manna

This series really ought to be published. (ETA: And now it has been–check out my post for the details.) It’s better than a lot of books I’ve read. It is dark, but not in the way I’d feared. I was expecting an outrageous dystopian future like that of Blade Runner, but it’s not like that. In The Administration, there are a lot of people fighting to maintain the status quo, and it’s easy to see why.

There is torture, rape and non-con sex, but it’s mostly incidental to the story. The BDSM is explicit, but I found it a lot of fun to read, even though I don’t usually enjoy BDSM scenes.

There are no bad guys. There are no good guys. There are only better guys, and worse guys.

One of the worse guys is Val Toreth. In a world where torture is a legitimate part of the investigative process, he works for the Investigation and Interrogation Division .

One of the better guys is Keir Warrick, a corporate director. His small corporation, SimTech, is developing a ’sim’ system which places users in a fully-immersive virtual reality.

Their world is the dark future dystopia of New London, where Europe is controlled by a totalitarian bureaucracy, which shares political power with powerful corporations. The oppressive government uses torture, violence and the various Divisions of the feared Department of Internal Security to maintain power. The corporations fight amongst themselves, using lethal force under the euphemism of ‘corporate sabotage’, uniting only to resist attempts by the Administration to extend its control over them.

The Administration is a series of three novels, three novellas and twenty-seven short stories, starting with Mind Fuck. They’re listed in reading order on the Administration page.

Also, see this follow-up recommendation.

BDSM // Darkfic // Future Dystopia // Mystery // NC-17 // Non-con // Rape // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100 // Top Ten // Torture

Arabian Nights by Pamela Rose

The Professionals

If you’ve never heard of The Professionals, then…I can’t help you. I know absolutely nothing about this fandom. But it doesn’t matter, because this is an AU. It borrows a bit heavily from the Sheik Romance genre of Harlequin novels, but it’s still enjoyable. The rape is kind of glossed over, but I’m willing to excuse it, somewhat, in the context of the story. And I realize this isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but…read it anyway. It’s a lot of fun.

AU // Historical // NC-17 // Rape // Romance

The God Eaters by Jesse Hajicek

Gods, mortals and true love. Deftly executed and genuinely suspenseful plot. Very good characters in Kieran Trevarde and Ashleigh Trine. Slash.

23 Nov 06: Now also available in print! ISBN 1847288650; it’s carried by several online book sellers, including Amazon.

Action // Future Dystopia // NC-17 // Romance // Sci-fi/Fantasy // Top 100 // Top Ten

Five Ways the World Won’t End (and One Way it Could) by C.L. Kamnikar

Umm…the first, third and fourth are my favourites. A couple of them are sad, but I liked them even though they made me tear up.

AU // Character Death // Gen // PG

Five and a Half Minute Hallway by Janis Cortese

Okay, it’s not a story, it’s a songvid. You can download it in a bunch of formats on her page. This song has become the Hornblower song for me. I love it.

G

Taste by Parhelion

Can I say again how beautifully Parhelion does Archie? Archie and Wolfe have such distinct speech patterns, and getting them right is what separates the mediocre authors from the really good ones in this fandom.

I asked Sam, “So, what made you peg me as being, you know?” Maybe I could change my tailor.

He snorted. “Stop, look, and listen. You notice more about a guy than how his cojones compare to yours. You check out everyone, not just the females. And you never, ever, shut up about Mr. Wilkins. Hell, I though I was bad about my Juanito.”

Well, I couldn’t explain to him how being a detective makes you look at people. But, I didn’t want to hear about Juanito, either. “Was that it?”

“Aside from the deadly Ds: dress, dancing, dining etiquette, and Dorothy Parker as your scriptwriter. You got ‘em all, son. Good thing for you that you’re such a tough guy, or we’d need a barnacle scraper to get the chorus boys off of you.”

“Ah, nuts.” I had another beer. It was that kind of a trip.

Archie and Wolfe undercover in La-La Land. Wolfe spends his days cooking and Archie runs errands for him all over Southern California.

Humour // NC-17 // Romance

Liars by Parhelion

Saul needs Wolfe and Archie to help him with a problem.

To Archie Goodwin, this may be the most important story about Saul Panzer, although Archie’s never heard it.

Parhelion captures Archie’s voice perfectly, and the Saul POV scenes are great, too.

Apparently Express is something of a sequel.

R // Romance // Top 100

Flowers and Trees by Parhelion

I really love Parhelion’s writing. I’ve been meaning to rec her (his?) Nero Wolfe fanfic for a while, but I haven’t been able to choose which ones to rec. This story could be classified as gen, het or slash.

“…The level of culinary competition will end up being such that Archie would have to show up in person and without a shirt to retrieve your full attention.”

A fork full of food paused on its way to Wolfe’s lips. He looked at it for a long moment, and then set his fork back down on his plate with some care. “Miss Rowan. Please understand that I correct you only because you are laboring under a misapprehension I find particularly irritating, and the two of us need to work together.” He laced his fingers. “By my count, that was the fourth time today you have implied Archie and I are physically intimate. We are not.”

She didn’t try to control her expression of skepticism. “Mr. Wolfe. Given the circles I move in, I recognize what I’m seeing when I look at you. And I, of all women, have reason to know you’re no priest. Archie’s never provided me with any details, but he doesn’t tell tales out of school. It’s one of his great charms.”

Archie and Lily Rowan are on vacation in the Caribbean when Archie disappears. Lily calls Wolfe. Parhelion does her usual fabulous job with Archie and Wolfe’s thoughts and dialogue, as well as doing the same with Lily Rowan.

Action // Gen // Het // Humour // Mystery // PG

Still Amok by Jat Sapphire

The Original Series

A serious story with funny bits. After Amok Time, Spock tells Kirk and McCoy that he is no longer in pon farr. This isn’t exactly true.

This is part of a larger universe of stories that you can find here. The sequel to Still Amok is Coals of Fire, and it is very good as well. I can actually see Jat Sapphire’s Kirk and Spock together.

“I do not think I could walk so far,” Spock admitted.

“Did you hear that, Bones?”

“I’ll be right there. His quarters?”

“Mine.”

A pause then McCoy’s voice was thick with amusement. “But Jim-boy, if he’s in your quarters at this hour, what do you need me for?”

Jim’s mouth twisted, with what emotion Spock could not tell.

Even McCoy is done right in this story.

NC-17 // Romance