Rachel Manija Brown's Blog, page 125
January 10, 2019
Ash: A Secret History, by Mary Gentle
Ash: A Secret History appears to be the faux history of Ash, a medieval woman who lead a mercenary company, in the form of a translation of a manuscript written shortly after her death, complete with a framing device of emails from its modern translator to his editor. It is that, but it’s also much stranger than just that. Don’t skip the emails, they’re not window dressing but essential.
The weirdness seeps in early on, with a version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” whose lyrics suggest an entirely different religious tradition. Ash hears a voice in her head which she interprets as that of a saint, but it's also referred to as a “tactical machine” or even “tactical computer.” The translator has a footnote with the original text to explain how he got that translation, along with a note that it obviously must really mean something else. What in the world is going on here?
Along with Shadows of the Apt, this gets my vote as one of the greatest giant fantasy epics that most people haven’t even heard of, let alone read. Ash is complete in four volumes, which were released all at once as it was written as a single gigantic novel. I recently re-read it, and went to see if there was an e-version partway through so I didn’t have to lug around four fat volumes. There is and it’s only $3.99 for the entire thing, which is why I decided to write about it.
Ash is definitely not for everyone. It’s both deeply weird and extremely dark. Eight-year-old Ash is raped (non-graphically, but…) on page one, then manages to kill the men who raped her. That sets the tone for the rest of the book. On a grimdark scale, it’s darker than Shadows of the Apt, but less dark than Gentle’s own Ancient Light - not “rocks fall, everybody dies,” but “rocks fall, a lot of people die. And also shit themselves. And do horrible things.”
Most of the characters are objectively terrible but I found a lot of them compelling and even likable despite that. My favorite is the most important queer female character. (There’s several, as well as important male characters). Also the adorable pet rats, who have a higher survival rate than the human characters.
There’s a very interesting central theme in Ash about the erasure and interpretation of history, particularly in regard to women. Ash is extremely unusual within the context of her time, as the female leader of a mercenary company, but less unusual as a woman involved in war as an active participant rather than a victim. That’s a part of history that tends to be erased or elided. Women in support roles (for instance, washerwomen) are not counted as part of the army, while men in similar noncombatant roles are. Exceptional men are lauded as such, while exceptional women are either erased or held up as proof that they are an exception and should not be viewed as proof of what women can do.
Here’s an example from the real world. I’ve read a lot of first-person accounts and histories of the war which is variously known as the First War of Indian Independence, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and the Sepoy Mutiny. (That by itself an example of what I mean by erasure and interpretation of history.)
One of its leaders in the fight against the British forces was an Indian queen, Rani Lakshmibai, who was killed in battle. Multiple accounts attest that not only did she personally fight in combat, but so did other women. However, Indian accounts tend to say “There were women in the army, including as gunners,” and “the Rani was found dead along with two women in her personal guard,” while British accounts tend to say “So many men were killed that sometimes women were seen doing tasks such as assisting the gunners,” and “the Rani was found dead along with two of her handmaidens. All three were disguised as men.”
How are they getting such different narratives from the same set of facts? Multiple groups of people saw women involved in combat, wearing the same uniforms as the men. One set of people concluded that the women were actually handmaidens or other civilians and were in disguise. Another concluded that they were female soldiers in uniform, doing the things that soldiers do. Those are vastly different stories, suggesting vastly different things about the military culture of Jhansi.
Ash delves into that sort of thing from all sorts of different angles. It's an incredibly immersive experience if you’re up for it. I spent a couple days nearly entire devoted to re-reading the series, and I had a great time. The worldbuilding and story are fascinating, and the sff elements are really cool.
Warnings for rape, child abuse, misogyny, very graphic violence, homophobia (on the part of the characters, not the author), racial slurs, animal harm, and more.
Please no comments along the lines of "There's enough bad stuff in reality that I have no need or desire to read about it in fiction." That's a totally valid point of view, but seeing that comment every time I post on darker works makes me hesitate to post on them, and I'm trying to post more in general.
Ash: A Secret History[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
The weirdness seeps in early on, with a version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” whose lyrics suggest an entirely different religious tradition. Ash hears a voice in her head which she interprets as that of a saint, but it's also referred to as a “tactical machine” or even “tactical computer.” The translator has a footnote with the original text to explain how he got that translation, along with a note that it obviously must really mean something else. What in the world is going on here?
Along with Shadows of the Apt, this gets my vote as one of the greatest giant fantasy epics that most people haven’t even heard of, let alone read. Ash is complete in four volumes, which were released all at once as it was written as a single gigantic novel. I recently re-read it, and went to see if there was an e-version partway through so I didn’t have to lug around four fat volumes. There is and it’s only $3.99 for the entire thing, which is why I decided to write about it.
Ash is definitely not for everyone. It’s both deeply weird and extremely dark. Eight-year-old Ash is raped (non-graphically, but…) on page one, then manages to kill the men who raped her. That sets the tone for the rest of the book. On a grimdark scale, it’s darker than Shadows of the Apt, but less dark than Gentle’s own Ancient Light - not “rocks fall, everybody dies,” but “rocks fall, a lot of people die. And also shit themselves. And do horrible things.”
Most of the characters are objectively terrible but I found a lot of them compelling and even likable despite that. My favorite is the most important queer female character. (There’s several, as well as important male characters). Also the adorable pet rats, who have a higher survival rate than the human characters.
There’s a very interesting central theme in Ash about the erasure and interpretation of history, particularly in regard to women. Ash is extremely unusual within the context of her time, as the female leader of a mercenary company, but less unusual as a woman involved in war as an active participant rather than a victim. That’s a part of history that tends to be erased or elided. Women in support roles (for instance, washerwomen) are not counted as part of the army, while men in similar noncombatant roles are. Exceptional men are lauded as such, while exceptional women are either erased or held up as proof that they are an exception and should not be viewed as proof of what women can do.
Here’s an example from the real world. I’ve read a lot of first-person accounts and histories of the war which is variously known as the First War of Indian Independence, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and the Sepoy Mutiny. (That by itself an example of what I mean by erasure and interpretation of history.)
One of its leaders in the fight against the British forces was an Indian queen, Rani Lakshmibai, who was killed in battle. Multiple accounts attest that not only did she personally fight in combat, but so did other women. However, Indian accounts tend to say “There were women in the army, including as gunners,” and “the Rani was found dead along with two women in her personal guard,” while British accounts tend to say “So many men were killed that sometimes women were seen doing tasks such as assisting the gunners,” and “the Rani was found dead along with two of her handmaidens. All three were disguised as men.”
How are they getting such different narratives from the same set of facts? Multiple groups of people saw women involved in combat, wearing the same uniforms as the men. One set of people concluded that the women were actually handmaidens or other civilians and were in disguise. Another concluded that they were female soldiers in uniform, doing the things that soldiers do. Those are vastly different stories, suggesting vastly different things about the military culture of Jhansi.
Ash delves into that sort of thing from all sorts of different angles. It's an incredibly immersive experience if you’re up for it. I spent a couple days nearly entire devoted to re-reading the series, and I had a great time. The worldbuilding and story are fascinating, and the sff elements are really cool.
Warnings for rape, child abuse, misogyny, very graphic violence, homophobia (on the part of the characters, not the author), racial slurs, animal harm, and more.
Please no comments along the lines of "There's enough bad stuff in reality that I have no need or desire to read about it in fiction." That's a totally valid point of view, but seeing that comment every time I post on darker works makes me hesitate to post on them, and I'm trying to post more in general.
Ash: A Secret History[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
January 9, 2019
War Master’s Gate; The Seal of the Worm (Shadows of the Apt 9 & 10), by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Gave up on writing a coherent review; incoherent notes below cut. Extremely spoilery! ( Read more... )
What a wild ride. So glad I heard about these books via Layla. Darkness and tragedy notwithstanding, they were wonderful and I wish there were ten more of them.
War Master's Gate (Shadows of the Apt Book 9)[image error]
Seal of the Worm (Shadows of the Apt Book 10)[image error]
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What a wild ride. So glad I heard about these books via Layla. Darkness and tragedy notwithstanding, they were wonderful and I wish there were ten more of them.
War Master's Gate (Shadows of the Apt Book 9)[image error]
Seal of the Worm (Shadows of the Apt Book 10)[image error]
[image error] [image error]
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January 8, 2019
Finder: King of the Cats; Finder: Mystery Date, by Carla Speed McNeil
King of the Cats involves Jaeger’s own people, the Ascians, with whom he has a very difficult relationship due to being both a Finder and a Sin-Eater, which in terms of respectability is the equivalent of being both an oncologist and a crack dealer, and the Nyima, who are bipedal lionesses; how they reproduce and exactly what their relationship is with what appear to be nonsentient regular lions is mysterious at the start (it's more complicated than "the lions are male and they fuck.") Both societies are involved in complicated negotiations at Munkytown, which is a satire of Disneyland.
I am not big on satires of Disneyland as it’s such an easy target and is essentially its own satire, and this book didn’t change my mind. The lion people were fascinating if you read the footnotes and almost completely incomprehensible if you didn’t. The negotiations were also pretty incomprehensible unless you read the footnotes, but only mildly interesting if you did. Great art, though. Also a hilarious bit where Jaeger deals with being chased by a mob by stripping, then fleeing when all the parents cover their children’s eyes.
Mystery Date features Jaeger only in brief cameo in which he has an unflattering moustache. The heroine is Vary Krishna, a student at both the university and of sex work, which in her case is a reasonably respectable and safe profession. She has massive crushes on two of her anthropology professors, one of whom is a sweet and lonely dinosaur-like being (a laeske), and one of whom is an extremely mysterious and cranky human man with prosthetic legs designed for a laeske who really does not appreciate his students making passes at him – yes, even if they’re as adorable and sexy as Vary. (Vary is extremely adorable and sexy.)
Vary’s story is partly about the experience of being a student crushing on an unavailable professor, partly about growing up, partly about culture clashes (she comes from an extremely rural background and the city is very foreign to her), and partly about the difficulty and rewards of relationships in general, in which there’s always culture clashes going on at an individual level even if there isn’t at a literal culture level. It’s funny and sweet. Also, her roomate is a humanoid Pomeranian in bondage gear.
Of all the Finder books I’ve read yet, King of the Cats has the most crucial plot information buried in the footnotes and not intelligible by just reading the story, while Mystery Date is almost entirely straightforward in terms of being able to get what you actually need to know just from reading the book. The only really important stuff in Mystery Date that’s hidden in footnotes are the solutions to some of the mysteries surrounding the professor, such as why his prosthetic legs weren’t designed for humans and why he wears a blindfold; the answers make perfect sense, but are much more mundane than I had imagined. That may well be the point as a lot of the story has to do with outsider/insider perspective, exotification vs. reality, etc.
In King of the Cats there’s elaborate and satisfying explanations of what’s going on in the plot in the footnotes, but for me, without the footnotes, the plot was basically “There’s a parody of Disneyland and Jaeger’s caught between two tribes. The lion people choose their new king somehow (how does that work???) (are we supposed to know who he is????) and the Ascian chief is trying to make peace with them and somehow this happens (maybe ???) (why???) (Is this good or bad for the Ascians???) (What did Jaeger have to do with it, if anything???)”
Apparently I mixed up the order a bit while reading; Dream Sequence comes in between these two books. I'll read that next. I suspect that this particular reading order flub is not crucial. The first collection has Sin-Eater, King of the Cats, and Talisman. The second has Dream Sequence, Mystery Date, The Rescuers, and Five Crazy Women. I bought the latter as at $8.95, it was a lot cheaper than buying three more individual volumes even though I already had Mystery Date.
Finder Library Volume 1[image error]
Finder : Sin-Eater, vol. 2[image error]
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[image error] [image error]
comments
I am not big on satires of Disneyland as it’s such an easy target and is essentially its own satire, and this book didn’t change my mind. The lion people were fascinating if you read the footnotes and almost completely incomprehensible if you didn’t. The negotiations were also pretty incomprehensible unless you read the footnotes, but only mildly interesting if you did. Great art, though. Also a hilarious bit where Jaeger deals with being chased by a mob by stripping, then fleeing when all the parents cover their children’s eyes.
Mystery Date features Jaeger only in brief cameo in which he has an unflattering moustache. The heroine is Vary Krishna, a student at both the university and of sex work, which in her case is a reasonably respectable and safe profession. She has massive crushes on two of her anthropology professors, one of whom is a sweet and lonely dinosaur-like being (a laeske), and one of whom is an extremely mysterious and cranky human man with prosthetic legs designed for a laeske who really does not appreciate his students making passes at him – yes, even if they’re as adorable and sexy as Vary. (Vary is extremely adorable and sexy.)
Vary’s story is partly about the experience of being a student crushing on an unavailable professor, partly about growing up, partly about culture clashes (she comes from an extremely rural background and the city is very foreign to her), and partly about the difficulty and rewards of relationships in general, in which there’s always culture clashes going on at an individual level even if there isn’t at a literal culture level. It’s funny and sweet. Also, her roomate is a humanoid Pomeranian in bondage gear.
Of all the Finder books I’ve read yet, King of the Cats has the most crucial plot information buried in the footnotes and not intelligible by just reading the story, while Mystery Date is almost entirely straightforward in terms of being able to get what you actually need to know just from reading the book. The only really important stuff in Mystery Date that’s hidden in footnotes are the solutions to some of the mysteries surrounding the professor, such as why his prosthetic legs weren’t designed for humans and why he wears a blindfold; the answers make perfect sense, but are much more mundane than I had imagined. That may well be the point as a lot of the story has to do with outsider/insider perspective, exotification vs. reality, etc.
In King of the Cats there’s elaborate and satisfying explanations of what’s going on in the plot in the footnotes, but for me, without the footnotes, the plot was basically “There’s a parody of Disneyland and Jaeger’s caught between two tribes. The lion people choose their new king somehow (how does that work???) (are we supposed to know who he is????) and the Ascian chief is trying to make peace with them and somehow this happens (maybe ???) (why???) (Is this good or bad for the Ascians???) (What did Jaeger have to do with it, if anything???)”
Apparently I mixed up the order a bit while reading; Dream Sequence comes in between these two books. I'll read that next. I suspect that this particular reading order flub is not crucial. The first collection has Sin-Eater, King of the Cats, and Talisman. The second has Dream Sequence, Mystery Date, The Rescuers, and Five Crazy Women. I bought the latter as at $8.95, it was a lot cheaper than buying three more individual volumes even though I already had Mystery Date.
Finder Library Volume 1[image error]
Finder : Sin-Eater, vol. 2[image error]
[image error] [image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
January 4, 2019
Post-Reveal Yuletide Recs
There are still a bunch of stories I haven't even gotten to yet. Lots of people wrote 5K+ this year. Here's a few more I enjoyed:
On the Shore, the Whalebone and the Horseshoe Crab. Aliens, post-movie but assumes Aliens 3 didn't happen. Great IN SPAAACE casefic with good dialogue and sizzling chemistry between Ripley and Hicks.
There were a bunch of good Annihilation movie stories. I especially liked the two centered on Josie and Anya, the beautifully eerie Cocoon and eerily beautiful Apotheosis.
Learning to See a Future, The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley. Pitch-perfect McKinley voice, about Harry and Corlath's teenage daughter being a bridge between her two societies, with great atmosphere and cameos from book characters.
There were three stories based on Sarah Monette's The Bone Key and I liked all of them. smiling, smiling (a direct sequel to "The Venebretti Necklace" and A Letter from a Private Patron are Claudia-centric, and the very well-written That Which Walks Unseen focuses on Booth, Ratcliffe, and an exceptionally creepy entity. (Incidentally, I don't think I ever recced The Book of the Duplicitous Dead from Yuletide 2016 but it's extremely eerie and has a wonderful concept. Definitely read if you're interested in fic for this fandom.)
Lodestone. Chronicles of Morgaine - C. J. Cherryh. Atmospheric exploration of a new world, Morgaine and Vanye's relationship, and the lengths they'll go to for each other.
A-Jobbing I Will Go. Medieval Manuscript Illustrations (penis trees, barnacle geese, etc). Colloquial voice; particularly hilarious conclusion.
Flourish. A Quiet Place. Lovely, delicate post-apocalyptic Christmas in a world where sound is deadly.
Always Be Somewhat Suspect. Rosemary's Baby. Beautifully written, neatly structured exploration of the worst person in the world - and, as one comment put it, he's in a story that includes literal minions of Satan.
comments
On the Shore, the Whalebone and the Horseshoe Crab. Aliens, post-movie but assumes Aliens 3 didn't happen. Great IN SPAAACE casefic with good dialogue and sizzling chemistry between Ripley and Hicks.
There were a bunch of good Annihilation movie stories. I especially liked the two centered on Josie and Anya, the beautifully eerie Cocoon and eerily beautiful Apotheosis.
Learning to See a Future, The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley. Pitch-perfect McKinley voice, about Harry and Corlath's teenage daughter being a bridge between her two societies, with great atmosphere and cameos from book characters.
There were three stories based on Sarah Monette's The Bone Key and I liked all of them. smiling, smiling (a direct sequel to "The Venebretti Necklace" and A Letter from a Private Patron are Claudia-centric, and the very well-written That Which Walks Unseen focuses on Booth, Ratcliffe, and an exceptionally creepy entity. (Incidentally, I don't think I ever recced The Book of the Duplicitous Dead from Yuletide 2016 but it's extremely eerie and has a wonderful concept. Definitely read if you're interested in fic for this fandom.)
Lodestone. Chronicles of Morgaine - C. J. Cherryh. Atmospheric exploration of a new world, Morgaine and Vanye's relationship, and the lengths they'll go to for each other.
A-Jobbing I Will Go. Medieval Manuscript Illustrations (penis trees, barnacle geese, etc). Colloquial voice; particularly hilarious conclusion.
Flourish. A Quiet Place. Lovely, delicate post-apocalyptic Christmas in a world where sound is deadly.
Always Be Somewhat Suspect. Rosemary's Baby. Beautifully written, neatly structured exploration of the worst person in the world - and, as one comment put it, he's in a story that includes literal minions of Satan.
comments
January 3, 2019
My new book: Top Gun Tiger, by Zoe Chant
I have a new book out under my Zoe Chant pen name. It's the final book in Protection, Inc. What a wild ride that's been. But if you like the series, don't worry - it sets up a spinoff, Protection, Inc: Defenders.
If you'd like a copy in epub, please email me or comment to this post.
Lost in the jungle. Pursued by dinosaurs. And that’s the least of their problems…
Tiger shifter and bodyguard Destiny knows Ethan isn’t the one.
No matter that the Recon Marine is the only man who can keep up with her, in a fight or on the dance floor. No matter how he makes her laugh, or how he makes her burn. Shifters always know their mates, and her tiger says he isn’t hers.
But when Ethan’s fire team goes missing on a secret mission, somehow Destiny knows he’s in danger. Drawn by mysterious instincts, she’s the only person who can find him...
And what she’ll discover will change everything she thinks she knows about shifters…and herself.
Discover shifters like you’ve never seen them before in this thrilling action-packed romance! If you love paranormal romance with strong women and tough men, not to mention dinosaurs and adorable flying kittens (yes, really), scroll up and one-click today!
Top Gun Tiger (Protection, Inc. Book 7)[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
If you'd like a copy in epub, please email me or comment to this post.
Lost in the jungle. Pursued by dinosaurs. And that’s the least of their problems…
Tiger shifter and bodyguard Destiny knows Ethan isn’t the one.
No matter that the Recon Marine is the only man who can keep up with her, in a fight or on the dance floor. No matter how he makes her laugh, or how he makes her burn. Shifters always know their mates, and her tiger says he isn’t hers.
But when Ethan’s fire team goes missing on a secret mission, somehow Destiny knows he’s in danger. Drawn by mysterious instincts, she’s the only person who can find him...
And what she’ll discover will change everything she thinks she knows about shifters…and herself.
Discover shifters like you’ve never seen them before in this thrilling action-packed romance! If you love paranormal romance with strong women and tough men, not to mention dinosaurs and adorable flying kittens (yes, really), scroll up and one-click today!
Top Gun Tiger (Protection, Inc. Book 7)[image error]
[image error] [image error]
comments
January 2, 2019
Stand Still, Stay Silent, by Minna Sundberg
A magical plague sweeps the world, turning affected humans and animals into monsters, and only the Nordic nations survive. (At least, as far as they know.) Iceland, which isolated itself, is the most advanced country in the world, Denmark has its human population living entirely on a tiny island, the Finns are considered odd and backward and have their own unique kind of magic, and cats are essential military supplies as they can sense trolls.
Characters are introduced in brisk and witty summations, then developed from there. This makes the large cast a lot easier to track, and gives the whole world a sense that it’s full of real people with quirks and agendas, even if they only appear on a single page. The main cast consists of a handful of expendable weirdos and misfits who have been selected to go on a mission into the Silent Land, where trolls and monsters roam unopposed, to bring back books. Old books are a rarity as trolls can be destroyed by fire, so big chunks of previous human habitation have been burned to the ground.
A stunningly beautiful, inventive, witty, fun, and sometimes spooky full-color webcomic. The cast is extremely likable, the world is wonderful, and the author’s in-universe military recruitment pamphlets (clearly gunning for cannon fodder), explanation of the grades of cats (A, B, and C, according to how much training they have), and so forth are both hilarious and great worldbuilding. I can’t overstate how much I enjoyed this or recommend it too highly.
I have a hard time reading comics online, so I read this in paper form. I’ve only read the first book, so I left off when the expedition has just started out and Lalli is seeing visions of a redheaded girl with a braid and freckles. Please no spoilers past that point.
The full-color art is absolutely gorgeous, as is the design of the paper book. If you can afford it, it’s certainly worth it; if not, you can read the entire saga for free online. Books 1 and 2 can be ordered in hard copy. I believe the story is still ongoing.
comments
Characters are introduced in brisk and witty summations, then developed from there. This makes the large cast a lot easier to track, and gives the whole world a sense that it’s full of real people with quirks and agendas, even if they only appear on a single page. The main cast consists of a handful of expendable weirdos and misfits who have been selected to go on a mission into the Silent Land, where trolls and monsters roam unopposed, to bring back books. Old books are a rarity as trolls can be destroyed by fire, so big chunks of previous human habitation have been burned to the ground.
A stunningly beautiful, inventive, witty, fun, and sometimes spooky full-color webcomic. The cast is extremely likable, the world is wonderful, and the author’s in-universe military recruitment pamphlets (clearly gunning for cannon fodder), explanation of the grades of cats (A, B, and C, according to how much training they have), and so forth are both hilarious and great worldbuilding. I can’t overstate how much I enjoyed this or recommend it too highly.
I have a hard time reading comics online, so I read this in paper form. I’ve only read the first book, so I left off when the expedition has just started out and Lalli is seeing visions of a redheaded girl with a braid and freckles. Please no spoilers past that point.
The full-color art is absolutely gorgeous, as is the design of the paper book. If you can afford it, it’s certainly worth it; if not, you can read the entire saga for free online. Books 1 and 2 can be ordered in hard copy. I believe the story is still ongoing.
comments
January 1, 2019
Dear Chocolate Boxer...
Thank you so much for writing for me! I love this exchange and I really look forward to whatever you create for me. I have requested fic only due to my total inability to come up with art prompts. However, if anyone would like to do an art treat, I would love that. Worksafe only please.
I have requested all of these fandoms before except for 'Salem's Lot, and you can find even more prompts by clicking the "fic exchange letter" tag. All previous prompts for these pairings are still valid.
If you want to cross any of these fandoms over with each other, feel free!
( General Loves )
( General DNWs )
( The Leftovers )
( Dark Tower - Stephen King )
( Marvel Comics (X-Men, New Mutants, and Excalibur comics) )
( The Punisher (TV 2017) (listed as Marvel Netflix) )
( 'Salem's Lot - Stephen King )
( The Stand - Stephen King )
( True Detective )
comments
I have requested all of these fandoms before except for 'Salem's Lot, and you can find even more prompts by clicking the "fic exchange letter" tag. All previous prompts for these pairings are still valid.
If you want to cross any of these fandoms over with each other, feel free!
( General Loves )
( General DNWs )
( The Leftovers )
( Dark Tower - Stephen King )
( Marvel Comics (X-Men, New Mutants, and Excalibur comics) )
( The Punisher (TV 2017) (listed as Marvel Netflix) )
( 'Salem's Lot - Stephen King )
( The Stand - Stephen King )
( True Detective )
comments
My Yuletide Stories
I wrote four stories this Yuletide.
On Wings of Song, for basketofnovas (slashmarks). 4000 words. Dragonriders of Pern, Mirrim/Menolly. Canon AU.
Menolly's life takes a different path.
I hold with those who favor fire, for Rubynye. 323 words (Yuletide Madness). Firestarter - Stephen King.
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
Who's got their hand in the oopsy jar?, for pariahsdream. A Simple Favor. Emily/Stephanie. Explicit.
It was like Emily’s breasts secreted perfect martinis instead of milk. Magical martinis that transmitted themselves straight into your bloodstream without having to pass your lips. With her fingers on the magic martini nipple, Stephanie lost the ability to form sentences or say the word no.
The Luckiest Woman in the World, for scioscribe. The Leftovers. Nora Durst/Kevin Garvey, Jr.
Nora Durst in another world.
comments
On Wings of Song, for basketofnovas (slashmarks). 4000 words. Dragonriders of Pern, Mirrim/Menolly. Canon AU.
Menolly's life takes a different path.
I hold with those who favor fire, for Rubynye. 323 words (Yuletide Madness). Firestarter - Stephen King.
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
Who's got their hand in the oopsy jar?, for pariahsdream. A Simple Favor. Emily/Stephanie. Explicit.
It was like Emily’s breasts secreted perfect martinis instead of milk. Magical martinis that transmitted themselves straight into your bloodstream without having to pass your lips. With her fingers on the magic martini nipple, Stephanie lost the ability to form sentences or say the word no.
The Luckiest Woman in the World, for scioscribe. The Leftovers. Nora Durst/Kevin Garvey, Jr.
Nora Durst in another world.
comments
December 29, 2018
More Yuletide Recs!
I have barely even begun to read the archive, so there's much more that I have bookmarked but unread. A few favorites so far:
Battle Snails and Penis Trees - Medieval Manuscript Illustrations
I haven't read all of these yet but all the ones I have read have been utterly delightful.
The Marvels of Whitby. A pair of monks write each other about the marvels they have seen. Snails and hares cannot do battle like knights. They are too small and know nothing of metallurgy.
A Demand for Butter. Goodly reader, fair patroness in control of her own purse strings, consider then the question of love. Of battles to impress a lady fair.
Of snails.
rosy as a flushed red apple skin (never been as sweet). This is a preview only. To read the rest of this article, you can purchase it for $39.99. Or login via your institution.
Other related articles:
On Symbols, Signs and What You Can Hold in Your Hand: The Semiotics and Realities of the Penis Tree by Heloise Peters.
Other fandoms
This Blank Card. Consider Phlebas. A very moving and well-written look at Perostock Balveda after the book, and also a good look at the Culture at that point in time.
Written In Another Key. Dragonriders of Pern. An adult Menolly, just made Harper, solves a sort of locked-room mystery with Robinton's assistance. A very nicely constructed and sweet look at Menolly growing into her new role, with a cameo by Audiva.
We'll Have to Muddle Through Somehow. Iron Fist. Danny invites Ward over for Christmas. The Rand-Wing-Meachum holiday traditions may need a little fine-tuning. Sweet, funny, and a bit heartbreaking.
Old-Fashioned. The Punisher TV. Frank/Karen. Sweet but with appropriately rough edges, two wounded people cautiously feeling their way toward each other.
deep red bells. The Stand - Stephen King. A really imaginative/unusual, beautifully written canon divergence AU about Nadine Cross and Randall Flagg.
Seven Views of the Tay Bridge Disaster.
The Tay Bridge Disaster - William McGonagall. The original poem is famously bad - this poem on the same subject is very good, and not a joke.
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Battle Snails and Penis Trees - Medieval Manuscript Illustrations
I haven't read all of these yet but all the ones I have read have been utterly delightful.
The Marvels of Whitby. A pair of monks write each other about the marvels they have seen. Snails and hares cannot do battle like knights. They are too small and know nothing of metallurgy.
A Demand for Butter. Goodly reader, fair patroness in control of her own purse strings, consider then the question of love. Of battles to impress a lady fair.
Of snails.
rosy as a flushed red apple skin (never been as sweet). This is a preview only. To read the rest of this article, you can purchase it for $39.99. Or login via your institution.
Other related articles:
On Symbols, Signs and What You Can Hold in Your Hand: The Semiotics and Realities of the Penis Tree by Heloise Peters.
Other fandoms
This Blank Card. Consider Phlebas. A very moving and well-written look at Perostock Balveda after the book, and also a good look at the Culture at that point in time.
Written In Another Key. Dragonriders of Pern. An adult Menolly, just made Harper, solves a sort of locked-room mystery with Robinton's assistance. A very nicely constructed and sweet look at Menolly growing into her new role, with a cameo by Audiva.
We'll Have to Muddle Through Somehow. Iron Fist. Danny invites Ward over for Christmas. The Rand-Wing-Meachum holiday traditions may need a little fine-tuning. Sweet, funny, and a bit heartbreaking.
Old-Fashioned. The Punisher TV. Frank/Karen. Sweet but with appropriately rough edges, two wounded people cautiously feeling their way toward each other.
deep red bells. The Stand - Stephen King. A really imaginative/unusual, beautifully written canon divergence AU about Nadine Cross and Randall Flagg.
Seven Views of the Tay Bridge Disaster.
The Tay Bridge Disaster - William McGonagall. The original poem is famously bad - this poem on the same subject is very good, and not a joke.
comments
December 28, 2018
FF Friday: FF Yuletide recs
Cemetary Polka Sandman. Death of the Endless/Thessaly (Larissa). Sensual and beautifully written, a pair of perfect character portraits and so much more. If you liked Sandman at all, you should definitely read this.
Unexpected. Dragonriders of Pern – Anne McCaffrey. Kylara/Lessa. Kylara Impresses a bronze dragon. Sexual tension rather than actual sex, but sizzling. Great characterization of both women.
Sanctum. The Scar, by China Mieville. Bellis Coldwine/Carianne. A touching and atmospheric postscript to the book, with Mieville’s diction but more kindness and comfort.
For Everything Else. Crazy Rich Asians. Rachel Chu/Eleanor Young. Five gifts Eleanor gave Rachel, and one gift Rachel gave Eleanor. Aptly tagged “infidelity” and “a truly shocking amount of money.” Fucked up and hot.
Welcome to the Family. The Exorcist TV. Kat Rance/Verity. Post-season two, a lovely bit of healing for the whole family.
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Unexpected. Dragonriders of Pern – Anne McCaffrey. Kylara/Lessa. Kylara Impresses a bronze dragon. Sexual tension rather than actual sex, but sizzling. Great characterization of both women.
Sanctum. The Scar, by China Mieville. Bellis Coldwine/Carianne. A touching and atmospheric postscript to the book, with Mieville’s diction but more kindness and comfort.
For Everything Else. Crazy Rich Asians. Rachel Chu/Eleanor Young. Five gifts Eleanor gave Rachel, and one gift Rachel gave Eleanor. Aptly tagged “infidelity” and “a truly shocking amount of money.” Fucked up and hot.
Welcome to the Family. The Exorcist TV. Kat Rance/Verity. Post-season two, a lovely bit of healing for the whole family.
comments
