Field Reports

DW: Everyman by basingstoke (Jack Harkness/The Universe)

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:34:30 GMT

My other favorite Doctor Who fic which I must recommend here for completeness: Everyman by basingstoke (3395 words). It's about Captain Jack and his future, and how he moves through time in one direction, for a very long time, and sometimes sees the Doctor (and certain companions), but most of the time doesn't. The last few paragraphs build wonderfully.

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DW: This House Is Not For Sale by centaurea_m (Rose/Ten-ish)

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:27:30 GMT

I never got around to recommending my two favorite Doctor Who stories -- I don't watch the show or participate in the fandom anymore, but I've always felt this journal was incomplete without them.

First up, This House Is Not For Sale by centaurea_m (not very many words). It's a what-if set after "The Impossible Planet" but before "The Satan Pit" -- what if Ten and Rose really got stranded without the TARDIS on some other human planet?

Rose is no-nonsense, matter-of-fact, competent. The Doctor is at loose ends. It's written with a delicate, whimsical, lighthearted touch -- which, at points, still has the impact of a blow to the chest.

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THG: The Unrecorded Hours by hollycomb (Katniss/Peeta)

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:10:02 GMT

I found the ending of The Hunger Games trilogy to be rushed and unsatisfying -- I know I'm not alone in that. The Unrecorded Hours by hollycomb takes 24,000 words to give Katniss a better ending. It's a bit of a wandering ramble through the post-traumatic healing process back in District 12, taking one step back for every two steps forward, going to unexpected places -- kind of the way life sometimes does. I think it works better on the second read, once you know where it's going and why.

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HP: Second Life by Lariope (Snape/Hermione)

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:34:59 GMT

I had forgotten how big the Snape/Hermione pairing is -- tons of authors, tons of archives, tons of fic fests. And tons of words!

Second Life by lariopefic clocks in at 240,642 words. The length is mainly because the plot closely follows the end of Book 6 and all of Book 7, but with one difference: it posits that before shit hit the fan in Book 6, Dumbledore devised a strategy to give Snape a character witness in Hermione. He does this by marrying them (note: she's in sixth year, yes, but! (1) she's at the age of majority technically for wizards, and (2) oh, just go with it -- this story is BRILLIANT).

And the length is also due to how careful and thoughtful the author was about all of the implications of this AU: what it means for both Snape and Hermione to rely on each other during their separate stories in Book 7; what it means that Dumbledore engineered the Elder Wand situation, basically playing chess with people's lives; and what it means for Snape to attempt public redemption once Voldemort is finally defeated.

The final third of the story is, basically, the perfect culmination of everything that came before it -- all the threads of character development, plot, and themes carefully and confidently woven together. I really admire an author who knows how to properly wrap up a novel.

ETA: Thanks to oyceter for pointing out that the entire thing is available hassle-free here at the Archive of Our Own. /ETA

The story is available at multiple places online, linked below. You will likely need to register for membership at these archives (it's free!) because the Snape/Hermione side of fandom seems to prefer to keep NC-17 works under lock. Once you finish, you'll probably want to check out lariopefic's other work as well -- I highly recommend all of it, but this one is her magnum opus, I think.

http://www.thepetulantpoetess.com/viewstory.php?sid=8326
http://www.restrictedsection.org/story.php?story=2671
http://owl.tauri.org/stories.php?psid=10709

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LOTR: The Price of Freedom by Erin Lasgalen (Eowyn/Legolas)

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:08:59 GMT

Without actually knowing anything about the author, I think of Erin Lasgalen's The Price of Freedom (FF.net link) as an early fanfic effort showing huge amounts of potential. The story needs polishing and scrubbing for spelling, grammar and formatting, but what's there shows so much raw talent, so much no-holds-barred asskicking storytelling, that I was completely engrossed from beginning to end. Then I went back to the beginning and read it all over again. All 131,000 words of it.

The story branches off from known canon after Éowyn's stay at the Houses of Healing, with a brief prologue showing her at Helm's Deep. Instead of agreeing to marry Faramir, she sets out to travel Middle Earth by herself, and eventually ends up becoming the captain of the guards (all female) for the young Queen of a tiny nation. Things kick off when an ancient evil tries to take over the land. It's all told with credibly Tolkien-esque flair, and the portrayal of the women who make up the guard and the Queen's court is quite thoughtful and refreshing (especially compared to the canonical LOTR sausage-fest).

It's labeled Éowyn/Legolas, and that relationship is indeed central -- but it doesn't play out as a typical romance. Some incredibly dark stuff goes down between them and around them, and while I raised my eyebrows at a few passages, I could still believe there was a real depth of mutual respect and regard underlying all the passion and drama. What I especially like about their dynamic is that Legolas himself seems to understand this is primarily Éowyn's story. He steps back and lets her take care of court intrigue (again, all female!), battle strategy, arrogant former enemies, and even himself.

The author's notes promise a sequel, but that was back in 2003, so let me quell the excitement now and say it doesn't seem likely. Still, 131,000 words is plenty -- set aside a good chunk of time to read this one.

Also: note that the odd formatting in the prologue at FF.net is limited to that section only -- the other chapters are all fine. You can also read a slightly fancier copy here.

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