Five-Star Recommendations--November, 2009
Dec. 15th, 2009 03:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dmarley_recsI am beginning an experiment. While I do view my daily recs as a reading filter as well as recommendations, I also wanted to do something more than toss up lists of links. I've decided, therefore, to see about posting more extensive information and commentary for the stories I've tagged as being outstanding. I think I'll be doing them once a month, but I'll also be going back and adding (backdated) posts of older five-star recs. This is first, and hopefully more will follow.
Following are the five-star recommendations for November, 2009. You can find these stories tagged on Delicious under the ***** tag, where you can further explore by navigating the tags. You can also find all the five-star rec posts on this journal under the five-star recs tag (five-star recs tag on Livejournal).
Five-Star Recs for November, 2009
Title: We Held Gold Dust in Our Hands
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
amand_r
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Team, Suzie, Lisa, Jack/Ianto/Lisa, Gwen/Rhys, Jack/Ianto/Lisa/Gwen/Rhys, Other variations and permutations.
Rating: NC-17
Summary: You don't pick your family. They pick you.
Length: 50,000-75,000 words
Comments: This has been recommended quite a few places, and it's well-deserved. The premise is a classic what-if: What if Lisa survived Canary Wharf? But then amand-r takes that idea into complex and new places, and ends up creating a story that is moving, difficult, painful, wonderful and passionate. Nothing is easy here, everything comes with a cost, but at the same time I was constantly inspired by the way that the characters dealt with their lives and each other. This is a story about love, and about relationships, and the many glorious ways human beings can find to show their love for each other. Wonderfully done.
Title: Something Beautiful
Author:cyus
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Gwen, Jack, Rhys, OCs, Jack/Gwen UST, Ianto/Gwen UST
Rating: PG
Summary: After Torchwood, after Jack, Gwen lives her life, even as Jack comes back.
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Comments: This is not the way the actual show will play out, but I completely believe every bit of this. This is a story about Gwen, about her bitterness and anger after the events of "Children of Earth," and also about the fact that she has darn good reason to feel bitter and angry. This is also a story about how well Gwen knows herself, and how she chooses to not give up even as her life is spiraling down in ways she probably never imagined. It's also a story about Gwen and Jack, taking the sexual/romantic/emotional tension that's always been between them and exploring why Gwen is not about to give in to the temptation that is Jack. This is, in short, a terrific character study of Gwen and all her complexity, one of best takes on her character that I've read.
Title: A Soft Spot for Apocalyptic Fuck-Ups
Author:julad
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Jack, Ianto
Rating: R
Summary: Jack deals with Ianto in the aftermath of "Cyberwoman."
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Comments: How embarassing that it took me until November of 2009 to tag this story. This is, hands-down, one of my favorite stories in the fandom, and has been for ages. I have no excuse for neglecting it this long. Yes, post-Cyberwoman stories are a bit thick on the ground, but this one stands out with powerful writing and strong characterizations. It's a relatively early story in the fandom, appearing just a few months after the show premiered, but like many good stories it's held up extremely well through the twists and turns of canon. This story focuses on the mundane details of the aftermath, on the tedious practicalities that Jack has to deal with, and the strength of the story lies in watching how Jack deals with the consequences of Ianto's actions. A fandom classic well worth the name.
Title: That Secret Place
Author:cyus
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Ianto/Suzie
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Ianto was watching, like he was watching everything in the Hub. She knew because she was watching him.
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Comments: This is dark, scary and completely twisted. (I mean that in the best way possible.) This is not a comfortable story, and the characters involved are laid bare in ways that are painful and gut-wrenching. Not for the faint of heart, but if you're looking for something that digs deep, give this one a read.
Title: Spooky Action (at a distance)
Author:curriejean
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Ianto, Martha, Jack/Ianto, Ianto&Martha, Ianto/Martha/Jack UST
Rating: R
Summary: Ianto's eyes are glassy in the torchlight. "One one one zero one zzzerow." Post-S2, Martha's back in the middle of things.
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Comments: One of things I like best about curriejean's Torchwood stories are the truly unique aliens and alien technology. It says something about this story that the usual gloriously bizarre and fascinating alien tech is my second-favorite part. The interactions between Ianto and Martha are the star of this story, even more so because they're using the opportunity of Ianto being eviscerated to flirt. And talk about binary. It's hurt/comfort, it's humor, it's angst, it's flirting...in other words, a thoroughly Torchwood story.
Following are the five-star recommendations for November, 2009. You can find these stories tagged on Delicious under the ***** tag, where you can further explore by navigating the tags. You can also find all the five-star rec posts on this journal under the five-star recs tag (five-star recs tag on Livejournal).
Five-Star Recs for November, 2009
Title: We Held Gold Dust in Our Hands
Author:
amand_rFandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Team, Suzie, Lisa, Jack/Ianto/Lisa, Gwen/Rhys, Jack/Ianto/Lisa/Gwen/Rhys, Other variations and permutations.
Rating: NC-17
Summary: You don't pick your family. They pick you.
Length: 50,000-75,000 words
Comments: This has been recommended quite a few places, and it's well-deserved. The premise is a classic what-if: What if Lisa survived Canary Wharf? But then amand-r takes that idea into complex and new places, and ends up creating a story that is moving, difficult, painful, wonderful and passionate. Nothing is easy here, everything comes with a cost, but at the same time I was constantly inspired by the way that the characters dealt with their lives and each other. This is a story about love, and about relationships, and the many glorious ways human beings can find to show their love for each other. Wonderfully done.
Title: Something Beautiful
Author:
cyusFandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Gwen, Jack, Rhys, OCs, Jack/Gwen UST, Ianto/Gwen UST
Rating: PG
Summary: After Torchwood, after Jack, Gwen lives her life, even as Jack comes back.
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Comments: This is not the way the actual show will play out, but I completely believe every bit of this. This is a story about Gwen, about her bitterness and anger after the events of "Children of Earth," and also about the fact that she has darn good reason to feel bitter and angry. This is also a story about how well Gwen knows herself, and how she chooses to not give up even as her life is spiraling down in ways she probably never imagined. It's also a story about Gwen and Jack, taking the sexual/romantic/emotional tension that's always been between them and exploring why Gwen is not about to give in to the temptation that is Jack. This is, in short, a terrific character study of Gwen and all her complexity, one of best takes on her character that I've read.
Title: A Soft Spot for Apocalyptic Fuck-Ups
Author:
juladFandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Jack, Ianto
Rating: R
Summary: Jack deals with Ianto in the aftermath of "Cyberwoman."
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Comments: How embarassing that it took me until November of 2009 to tag this story. This is, hands-down, one of my favorite stories in the fandom, and has been for ages. I have no excuse for neglecting it this long. Yes, post-Cyberwoman stories are a bit thick on the ground, but this one stands out with powerful writing and strong characterizations. It's a relatively early story in the fandom, appearing just a few months after the show premiered, but like many good stories it's held up extremely well through the twists and turns of canon. This story focuses on the mundane details of the aftermath, on the tedious practicalities that Jack has to deal with, and the strength of the story lies in watching how Jack deals with the consequences of Ianto's actions. A fandom classic well worth the name.
Title: That Secret Place
Author:
cyusFandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Ianto/Suzie
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Ianto was watching, like he was watching everything in the Hub. She knew because she was watching him.
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Comments: This is dark, scary and completely twisted. (I mean that in the best way possible.) This is not a comfortable story, and the characters involved are laid bare in ways that are painful and gut-wrenching. Not for the faint of heart, but if you're looking for something that digs deep, give this one a read.
Title: Spooky Action (at a distance)
Author:
curriejeanFandom: Torchwood
Characters and Pairings: Ianto, Martha, Jack/Ianto, Ianto&Martha, Ianto/Martha/Jack UST
Rating: R
Summary: Ianto's eyes are glassy in the torchlight. "One one one zero one zzzerow." Post-S2, Martha's back in the middle of things.
Length: 1,000-5,000 words
Comments: One of things I like best about curriejean's Torchwood stories are the truly unique aliens and alien technology. It says something about this story that the usual gloriously bizarre and fascinating alien tech is my second-favorite part. The interactions between Ianto and Martha are the star of this story, even more so because they're using the opportunity of Ianto being eviscerated to flirt. And talk about binary. It's hurt/comfort, it's humor, it's angst, it's flirting...in other words, a thoroughly Torchwood story.