[info]snakeling

Pocket Watch Boy, by Mhalachai

2008-08-15

[Torchwood/Doctor Who]

Title: Pocket Watch Boy
Author: Mhalachai [info]mhalachaiswords
Summary: Ianto Jones is a very different sort of boy. (wee!Time Lord!Ianto)
Characters/Pairing: Ianto Jones/Jack Harkness, team Torchwood, the Doctor, Donna Noble
Rating: PG-13

Why?

A really good take on the Time Lord!Ianto cliché, especially the difference in point of view between Ianto and the Doctor, regarding Jack. Very good use of the Team, especially Gwen, as well as the Doctor. Donna feels a little off, but it was written before Season 4 aired.

Caveat Lector

There are a few too many references to pop culture, that don't always quite sit with British characters.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Make a Beginning, by Dsudis

2008-08-09

[Torchwood]

Title: Make a Beginning
Author: [info]dsudis
Summary: Post-"Exit Wounds". Gwen couldn't go on like that much longer. Neither could Torchwood.
Characters: Gwen Cooper, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Rating: PG-13

Why?

I want to see this in canon. I really, really want to see this in canon. This is Gwen Cooper as the show meant to show us, and never quite managed to.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

The End of a Circle, by K Haldane

2008-07-25

[Torchwood]

Title: The End of a Circle
Author: [info]k_haldane
Summary: Jack was in Cardiff because the Rift was here.
Character: Jack Harkness
Rating: PG-13

Why?

People who have been following this rec journal know how much I love complicated, Moebius-strip time-travel stories. This one is a glowing example of what I mean by that.

It's also a very realistic and very interesting look at what happened to Jack during Exit Wounds, and develops some interesting theories about the Rift.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Shall I Compare Thee To A Tentacled Alien Corpse? by Marginaliana

2008-07-16

[Torchwood]

Title: Shall I Compare Thee To A Tentacled Alien Corpse?
Author: [info]marginaliana
Summary: Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Jack and Ianto's naughty limerick war.
Pairing: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Rating: PG-13

Why?

Absolutely hilarious, and very, very in character for all of them. The perfect little interlude.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Power of Persuasion, by Moofoot

2007-12-25

[James Bond]

Title: Power of Persuasion
Author: Moofoot [info]ramblinwanderer
Summary: If there's one thing Bond can't stand, it's not knowing all the answers, and that's the one thing that Villiers is betting on most.
Pairing: James Bond/Villiers
Rating: PG-13

Why?

I don't know what's up with the amount of Villiers fic we've got this year, but I approve wholeheartedly. We don't see enough of him in the movie to get a good grip of his character, but I really, really like this interpretation.

I also like a lot Bond's characterisation: a bit uncertain, a lot immature, but growing up and learning.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

An incompletely edited manuscript, for consideration by the Board, by Leni Jess

2007-12-16

[Harry Potter]

Title: An incompletely edited manuscript, for consideration by the Board
Author: Leni Jess [info]leni_jess
Summary: The Board's last chance to decide whether a biography of Severus Snape (even disguised as a collection of essays) is really a good idea.
Characters: Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Lucius Malfoy, OCs
Rating: PG-13

Why?

One of the oddest, most original fics I've ever read. External point of view is tricky to get right, but this is quite brilliantly done. Three different looks at Snape, framed by a letter from an editor to a publisher (and what brilliant voice does the editor have!)

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Marking Time, by The Atropos

2007-12-15

[Torchwood]

Title: Marking Time
Author: The Atropos [info]atropos-too
Summary: In which Ianto is introduced to some of many things to be done with a stopwatch.
Characters: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones
Rating: PG-13

Why?

This is first a wonderfully detailed exploration of what it means to be a Time Agent. Jack shows to Ianto how to use his "Temporal Hyper-acuity". Even though the story is set at some point between Cyberwoman and Countrycide, and features a Ianto that still hates Jack and resents him, Ianto is able to ignore his feelings to be fascinated by the new world Jack is helping him discover.

I like detailed descriptions of original concepts (magic in HP, and science in DW/TW) and this story certainly delivers.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

The Only Sound, by Crystalshard

2007-10-27

[Torchwood]

Title: The Only Sound
Author: [info]crystalshard
Summary: Jack comes back to Torchwood, but the year that never was has affected him more deeply than he’s let anyone see yet.
Pairing: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Rating: PG-13

Why?

One year in captivity at the end of a homicidal maniac has consequences, even to immortals. The fall-out is treated in a very understated way, mostly from Ianto's point of view, perceptive and understanding as he is. A little gem.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Stuck in Traffic at the Magic Roundabout, by xwingace

2007-10-05

[Torchwood/Doctor Who]

Title: Stuck in Traffic at the Magic Roundabout
Author: [info]xwingace
Summary: The importance of not running into oneself had been drummed into Jack Harkness from the first day in the academy.
Character: Jack Harkness
Rating: PG-13

Why?

This is what time-travel is all about: paradoxes, people running into themselves, and major fuck-ups. Fascinating and convoluted, and the end will blow you away!

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

The Night Starts Here, by Asrai

2007-10-04

[Torchwood]

Title: The Night Starts Here
Author: Asrai [info]asrai99
Summary: In which Ianto Jones goes to Scotland, finds some closure and Jack comes back. Eventually.
Pairing: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Rating: PG-13

Why?

A Ianto-centric piece, showing Ianto's growth after End of Day, with an excellent grasp of his character. The OCs are all well-rounded and thoroughly enjoyable. Lovely!

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Adam, by Invisible Lift

2007-10-02

[Torchwood]

Title: Adam
Author: [info]invisible-lift
Summary: Ianto has disappeared, but there's someone, or something, left in his place.
Pairing: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Rating: PG-13

Why?

Totally, completely, heart-wrenching. And if the first five parts don't break your heart, the last one will. The ending is happy, mind.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

The Key, by Jadesfire

2007-09-29

[Doctor Who]

Title: The Key
Author: [info]jadesfire2808
Summary: Death is not the only constant in Jack’s life.
Characters: Jack Harkness, the Doctor (Ten), Martha Jones
Rating: PG-13
Warning: moderate violence

Why?

Lovely tale, made of little snapshots of Jack's life, showing how few constants he has, and how much evolves around them.

Make sure to snoop around the comments, too, as there are related drabbles hidden in them.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Worlds in Conjunction, by Marylane

2007-09-26

[Doctor Who]

Title: Worlds in Conjunction
Author: Marylane
Summary: The Doctor makes a slight miscalculation.
Pairing: Ten/Rose Tyler
Rating: PG-13

Why?

One of the best fanfics I've ever read. The plot is tightly held together, the characters are captured perfectly, and if it doesn't make you cry or at least mist up, I'll eat my hat.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Second Chances, by Caz the hobbit

2007-09-20

[Doctor Who]

Title: Second Chances
Author: Caz the hobbit [info]cazthehobbit
Summary: Jack’s waited a hundred years for the Doctor to say sorry.
Pairing: Ten/Jack Harkness
Rating: PG-13

Why?

There was some unfinished business at the end of The Last of the Time Lords, and Caz shows us the fallout beautifully. The writing is very restrained, and lovely.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

Ekphugion, by Shaye

2007-09-04

[Vorkosigan/New Battlestar Galactica]

Title: Ekphugion
Author: Shaye [info]fourteenlines
Summary: Success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started. - Greek proverb
Characters: Aral Vorkosigan, Cordelia Vorkosigan, Miles Vorkosigan, Ivan Vorpatril, Gregor Vorbarra, Lee 'Apollo' Adama, William Adama, Laura Roslin, Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace, Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii
Rating: PG-13

Why?

Under Shaye's talented pen, the Vorkosigan and the BSG universe mesh wonderfully. She confronts the characters from both shows, pitting their characterisations subtly. I just wish she could have written more.

Excerpt )

[info]snakeling

words were dead leaves, by k8

2007-06-11

[Lynn Flewelling - Nightrunners]

Title: words were dead leaves
Author: k8 [info]paintedmaypole
Summary: Alec and Seregil's travels. Set directly after Stalking Darkness.
Characters/Pairing: Alec/Seregil
Rating: PG-13

Why?

Above everything else, Alec and Seregil are friends, and their friendship is showcased beautifully, there. They both have wounds to heal, and they take their time doing it. Gorgeous writing.

Excerpt )

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