Yuletide recs (books and literature)

[cyphomandra]

I still have at least three 10k+ stories to read through in this section, but they're all ones that have been recced widely elsewhere, and I'd like to get this posted.



The Opposite Of Swarb (6633 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Bellwether - Connie Willis
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Sandra Foster/Bennett O'Reilly
Characters: Billy Ray, Sandra Foster, Gina, Bennett O'Reilly
Summary:

Sandra and Bennett are researching fandom, but why is Bennett acting so strangely when Sandra wants to meet his mother? With guest appearances from Billy Ray, Gina and a colony of Argentinian vampire bats.

Successfully updates Bellwether for the internet age and does an excellent job of mimicking Sandra’s voice and Willis’ unfolding plot style. I am particularly fond of the bats’ Facebook status updates.

No Reservations: Narnia (6228 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations RPF, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Anthony Bourdain, Reepicheep
Summary:

I’m crammed into a burrow so small that my knees are up around my ears and the boom mike keeps slamming into my head, inhaling the potent scent of toffee-apple brandy and trying to drink a talking mouse under the table.

I have seen precisely one episode of No Reservations, and have kept it that way because small amounts of Anthony Bourdain work best for me (I’ve read the books, but they’re easier to deal with). Part of the reason this cross-over works so brilliantly, apart from the glorious food descriptions, is that Anthony in it plays by the rules; Narnia, to him, is a real place, and what happens there just as deserving of attention as anywhere else. Not to be read when feeling hungry (or, given the later specialities, mildly nauseated).

Fools Rush In (12058 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Chronicles of Chrestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Angelica Petrocchi/Tonino Montana
Characters: Angelica Petrocchi, Tonino Montana, Cat Chant
Summary:

Angelica Petrocchi is taken aback when a strange Englishman begs for her help solving a missing person's case. She's never heard of Tonino Montana, or any of his family, and she isn't sure what the worst spellmaker in Florence can do to help. Meanwhile, Tonino finds himself trapped somewhere very peculiar. Mostly gen, this, with some light Angelica/Tonino.

There are always numerous DWJ stories in Yuletide, and usually they don’t work for me (probably due to my own set ideas about the canon). This, however, is an excellent plotty follow-up to The Magicians of Caprona, with vivid imagery and an effective use of magic, and I enjoyed it very much.

A Bend In The Road (13346 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Dark Tower - Stephen King
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Roland Deschain, Susannah Dean, Eddie Dean, Jake Chambers, Oy
Summary:

A day on the road with the ka-tet.

Does such an excellent job of mimicking King’s style that it’s almost creepy (in unintended ways!). The ka-tet spend a night in the wrong place; allusive, closely bound to canon, and touching, while being able to slot seamlessly (if such a thing is possible) into the actual narrative.

Climbing Mount Kunlun (16254 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Chinese Mythology
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Xi Wang Mu | Queen Mother of the West, Original Female Character, Original Male Character
Summary:

"Not all over the table, venerable sir!" cried Xiao Zhen, but it was already too late.

Quest, romance, and vividly entertaining, with easily distracted scholars and a great female lead.

Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Equitable Agency (16295 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Encyclopedia Brown - Donald J. Sobol
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Encyclopedia Brown/Sally Kimball
Characters: Ecyclopedia Brown, Sally Kimball, Bugs Meany
Summary:

FOLLOW THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF THE SUPER SLEUTH IN SNEAKERS

Some stolen books ...
An application to join the FBI ...
A two-car accident ...
Professional troubles in Washington, D.C. ...
An unfair verdict ...
And a surprising request from the last person Encyclopedia Brown ever thought would need his help!

These are just some of the trials Encyclopedia Brown and his friend Sally Kimball face in their years away from Idaville. Are you ready to see what happens in the next chapter of their lives? Read along and try to solve the cases with them -- and if you get stuck, some of the answers are found at the bottom of the page!

I loved the books at a particular stage of my youth, and this does an excellent job of mimicking the books in its first section before moving on and taking the characters into equally believable adulthoods, where they can grow and develop while still being recognisable. Also, I missed one of the mysteries and am still miffed.

Goodnight Room (2825 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Bunny (Goodnight Moon)
Summary:

Bunnies ... in ... SPAAAAAAAACE!

Widely and deservedly recced. Unnerving reinterpretation/deconstruction of the children's classic.

On the Burning Deck (3359 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nancy Blackett/John Walker
Characters: Nancy Blackett, John Walker, Titty Walker, Dorothea Callum
Summary:

Nancy in the Blitz

Excellent short piece which is about all of the characters, not just Nancy, but she's definitely the heart of it. And the title is brilliant.

Bitter great grief has Charlemagne the king* (4384 words) by Anonymous
Fandom: Secret History - Donna Tartt
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Charles Macaulay/Henry Winter
Characters: Charles Macaulay, Henry Winter, Francis Abernathy, Camilla Macaulay, Richard Papen
Summary:

"I have spent years, since then, wishing I had never seen or spoken to him. But that would have been impossible for a number of reasons, and then I would have no story to tell."

I beta'd this and am thus hopelessly biased, but I didn't know the author beforehand and I still think it's a wonderful piece, which does an excellent job of picking up the style of the original book and the events, and yet creating something new out of them. I liked it a lot.