Yuletide Recs

[quillori]

Not only were there more stories this year than any other, the standard, always very good, is higher than ever. I know I've yet to read almost half the stories where I have some familiarity with canon, and a number of those I've already read merit rereading. However, every year there are some stories which are not only excellent in themselves but can be appreciated even by those who don't know the fandom. Unfortunately, most people don't have the time to read through countless unfamiliar stories in the hope some will make sense, so I always like to draw attention to those stories I've read which I think could be appreciated by a wider audience.

It's traditional to start by mentioning the stories one has received oneself, and this is a year I'm in the happy position it isn't just a pro forma mention but an enthusiastic recommendation. My main story was Chinese Mythology: Red Sky by Morning (1383 words). I asked for Matsu and my wonderful anon author wrote me a story with all the clarity and simplicity of a folk tale, which yet has enough immediacy and specificity of description to make the story individual and real.

Because I am very lucky, I also got an excellent Treat, unsleeping (233 words). I think to appreciate it you probably do need at least some passing familiarity with Chinese fox tales, but it isn't at all necessary to have read The Magnanimous Girl (scroll down). In fact, if you haven't, I would actually recommend reading unsleeping first.

I Claudius: Mater Patriae (3037 words)

A fine and ultimately chilling character study of Livia Augusta.

Lawrence of Arabia: Hero's Welcome (1016 words)

Another character piece, this one subtle and understated. Lawrence and Ali in Aqaba. This one is probably better if you've seen the movie, but merely a general knowledge of who Lawrence and Ali are should be sufficient to appreciate the writing.

Mary Renault - Alexander Series: Things Lost (1515 words)

I am presuming everyone knows who Alexander is and that most could also have a shot at recognising Hephaistion. For anyone unfamiliar with Renault, Bagoas, our narrator, was the favoured eunuch first of Darius III and then of Alexander.

George Manville Fenn - ouevre: Feminine Intuition (1735 words)

Fenn was the 19th C author of many boys' adventure stories, heavy on the manly friendships and the possibly not entirely unintentional slashy subtext. He's good fun to read, but it really isn't necessary to have read Fix Bay'nets to appreciate this - you can work out all necessary details from the story.

Meine Liebe: The Plane To Lisbon (1917 words)

This is truly lovely story, one of my favourites this year. I fear this one does benefit rather from having seen the anime, but it is so beautifully written I really think it's worth giving it a look anyway. And if you read attentively, I think you should be able to see everything of real importance. It would be a great shame if the obscurity of the fandom led to a concomitant obscurity for such a gorgeous story.

Then there are several long stories I haven't had time to more than skim, but which look promising:

Brimstone: 26 Views of Mount Meggido (34814 words)
Fairy Tales: Fire, Measured By What Doesn't Burn (13233 words)
Onmyoji: Human (14657 words)
Raymond Chandler - Philip Marlowe series: Leveling (5714 words)

And finally, a mixed bag of other recs, requiring more canon knowledge:

Missing Scenes or Backstory

Mabinogion: Arianrhod, daughter of Don (1200 words)
The Magic Flute: In A Magic Hour (1271 words)
Vagrant Story: The Sunless Way (1249 words)

Games With Narrative Structure

Mythology - Finnish: Woe for the Two-Thousand year reign of the Fish (Additional Runes of the Kalevala) (4082 words)
Primeval: No Stone to his Memory (2221 words)

Pairings

Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan series: Escaping Gravity (Byerly/Ivan) (3059 words)
Lois McMaster Bujold - Vorkosigan series: Proposals and Propositions (Byerly/Ivan) (2129 words)
From Eroica with Love: And Yet (Klaus/Dorian) (125 words)
From Eroica with Love: Some Live Like Lazarus (Klaus/Dorian) (868 words)
From Eroica with Love: An almost perfect alibi (Klaus/Dorian) (9673 words)

Action Adventure

Barry Hughart - Master Li series: Along the Fujiang (10288 words)

Horror

Dr Seuss: Out of the Dark (1270 words)

Misc.

Black Books: Barcelona (2113 words)
Dante's Cove: Control (1307 words)
Mythology - Greek and Roman: Hard Is The Fall (5785 words)
Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere: Getting The Hang Of This (1032 words)
Neil Gaiman - Neverwhere: The Return, or Quid Pro Quo (3134 words)
One Thousand And One Nights: Of Nightingales and Other Things (1137 words)
One Thousand And One Nights: Make Me a Gift of Your Intimacy (1056 words)
Petshop of Horrors: Drive (1497 words)
RPF - 15th century: Before we have moved farther on (1050 words)
Susanna Clarke - The Ladies of Grace Adieu: Bid Thee Welcome To My Heart (5072 words)