Provocation, by Rhien Elleth (R)

[debc.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Teyla/Ronon
Pairing: Teyla/Ronon
Category: Atlantis, drama, ust
Warning: Het
Author on LJ: rhienelleth
Author's Website: http://rhienelleth.fateback.com/
Link: http://rhienelleth.livejournal.com/134204.html

Why This Must Be Read: I think the words "damn, that was good" followed by a smoke and some afterglow cover this story the best. The characterization is wonderful on all accounts, as is the way she describes the tense relationships between Ronon and the rest of the team, especially Teyla. There's so much here to enjoy, too. There's a team dynamic, smut, character building... lots of fun and insightful moments, and lots of hot, tense drama and something a little smutty to keep you warm on the cold Atlantis nights.

21 Things We Never Knew About Teal'c by Risa (PG-13)

[rydra_wong]

Rec Category: Teal'c
Pairing: none
Category: character study, gen
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: nakedtoes
Author's Website: not known
Link: 21 Things We Never Knew About Teal'c

Why This Must Be Read:

nakedtoes makes brilliant use of the list format to give a sequence of sharp insights into Teal'c and his life, making hairpin turns between comedy and pain.

10. Teal'c has read the Bible. When he was halfway through the Gospel of St. Matthew, he suggested to Daniel Jackson that Jesus might have been a Goa'uld who had lived on Earth, thousands of years ago. Major Carter overheard and went very still, then she excused herself, coughing into her hand. After discussing it with Daniel, Teal'c agreed not to mention his idea to anyone else on or off base.

Issues by Ayiana

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

Issues by Ayiana2 (All Ages)

Rec Category: Sam, Sam and Jack
Pairing: Sam and Jack
Category: Missing Scene
Warning: Sam and Jack, references to Threads and what happens there
Author on LJ: Not that I'm aware of
Author's Website: Not that I'm aware of
Link: http://www.gateworld.net/fanfic/archive/38/issues.html

Why This Must Be Read: The 'Sam and Jack get together' fic is an idea that's been done to death. And will continue to be done to death. (Just like the Jack and Daniel fic I would guess). But it is rare to find one where the characters are still IN character. And I think that's what I like about this one. There's no undying declarations of eternal love. No grand gestures, no serenading and 3,000 dollar diamond rings. Just two friends attending a funeral and having a discussion.
Ayiana does a good job getting the characters' voices down, I can almost hear Sam and Jack as they dance around the issue, saying the unsaid and speaking volumes with a silently spoken word.
If you don't like Sam and Jack, give this one a pass. But if you like gentle 'love' stories, then check it out. It's warm and fuzzy but never passes into the realm of pure smarm.

Code of Honor by Jen Gafeller (teens)

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

Code of Honor by Jen Gafeller (Teens)

Rec Category: Sam, Sam/Jack
Pairing: Sam and Jack
Category: Sam and Jack, references to torture, short torture scene
Warning: No explicit sex but this is a relationship fic
Author on LJ: not that I'm aware of
Author's Website: Not that I'm aware of
Link:http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2393781/1/

Why This Must Be Read:
One of the oldest cliches in the book is 'hero almost loses heroine and realizes that they have to seize the day'
Which can be kinda nice…except when the story is given short shrift and tossed out there in 20 pages or less. This one doesn't quite to that, in fact it's novel length, almost 200 pages and I like how it deals with the Sam and Jack issue, along with the issues of command and duty and honor.
No OTT mushiness here, no dying confessions, just some nice 'realistic' dealings between the two, with the added bonus of not ignoring Daniel and Teal'c along the way.
An all around good romance novel that touches on the angst and drama, but doesn't dwell on it. And it also is written by someone that did her medical research and doesn’t kill the character off before the end of the story.

Under Fire by Strix Varia (Teens)

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

Under Fire by Strix Varia (Rating)

Rec Category: Sam, Adventure
Pairing: none
Category: A/A, Drama
Warning: Nothing I can think of
Author on LJ: Not that I'm aware of
Author's Website: http://vikingchick.gyrfalcon.net
Link:http://vikingchick.gyrfalcon.net/underfire.htm

Why This Must Be Read: The story can be rather confusing at first since the story starts out in the middle. And as it goes on, you wonder if maybe the author is incredibly off on her characterizations. Jack is grumpy and gruff while Daniel and Teal'c seem to know more than they're saying…but never act on it.
You do have to read through to the end to 'get' the whole story. And I'd love to spell it out here, but then that'll give it away. I suggest, if you're in the mood for a young early season Sam to give it a read…then read it again. Because it's much better on the second reading, when you know the subtext, it clears everything up and you have a nice character piece.

Abandoned by Barb (all ages)

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

Abandoned by Barb (All Ages)

Rec Category: Sam
Pairing: none beyond a bit of Sam/Daniel friendship
Category: Angst, Missing Scene
Warning: Deals with Meridian and the events there
Author on LJ: Not that I'm aware of
Author's Website: Not that I'm aware of
Link: http://www.gateworld.net/fanfic/archive/8/abandoned.html

Why This Must Be Read:
This author kinda feels the way I do that there is a huge gaping hole about Sam and surrounding Daniel's death. Not only that he died and how everyone else felt with that, but then, a year later when Daniel comes back and Sam learns that while she seemed to mourn the hardest, she's the only one that Daniel didn't visit.
This story is part 1 of 3 that deals with the Meridian, Revelations, Full Circle arc and is a nice POV piece that digs into Sam's feelings.

In my Life by Emery Wild (Teens)

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

In my life by Emery Wild (Rating)

Rec Category: Sam
Pairing: None
Category: POV, Angst
Warning: Character Death – this is a post Heroes fic.
Author on LJ: not that I'm aware of
Author's Website: not that I'm aware of
Link:http://www.gateworld.net/fanfic/archive/8/inmy.html
Why This Must Be Read:
Every so often you come across an episode that just spawns a ton of fic. 100 days and Shades of Grey are two examples and I've lost count of the number of Jack/Daniel fic that sprouted off of the events of Need.
In my Life is a point of view story told in the first person and it's Sam talking about her feelings about the events of Heroes. It's a very nice peek into Sam's head and interpretation of her thoughts and feelings and one that I think any Sam fan would enjoy reading.

A Hairy Situation by Iamdragonrider (teens)

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

A Hairy Situation by Iamdragonrider (Teens)

Rec Category: Sam
Pairing: None
Category: Humor, Missing Scene
Warning: None
Author on LJ: Not that I'm aware of
Author's Website: Not that I'm aware of
Link: http://www.gateworld.net/fanfic/archive/35/ahairy.html

Why This Must Be Read:
If you watched the show back in Season 4, I'm sure you noticed that Sam (and Amanda) went from slightly longer hair to a style that was really, really really short. And, to me anyway, kinda looked like a 2 year old got loose with the scissors.
This was never addressed on the show. Just like it was never addressed how, during the ten days that took place between Nemesis and Small Victories, Sam's hair not only grew but Teal'c sprouted a caterpillar on his chin.

This fic takes a rather humorous look at it and comes up with an explanation that's as plausible as any. And, triple bonus points with me, it also gives us a bit of Soldier Sam at the same time.
It's just an all around fun story to read topped off with some nice smarmy team stuff at the end.

Across the Divide by Se/Seesaw (teens)

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

Across the Divide by Se/Seesaw (Teens)

Rec Category: Sam
Pairing: none
Category: Adventure, AU
Warning: nothing really
Author on LJ: not that I'm aware of
Author's Website: Not that I'm aware of
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2641558/1/

Why This Must Be Read:
This fic takes an angle I don't recall ever seeing…that Sam's not a member of the SGC but joined the NID instead. General West is again used as an excuse for mismanagement and I do find the scenario rather believable.
Sam first comes into contact with the SGC when Hammond is forced to allow some NID officers to go through the gate on a mission. Of course, they get in trouble, and Sam and Jack are left behind. Now don't worry, there's no shippiness here, just two people that eventually learn about each other and a way to examine two different lives.
Across the Divide is actually part one of 6 different fic I believe, and each tells a chapter in Sam being in the NID, Sam helping the SGC to shut down the NID and some other bits and pieces thrown in.
One reason I enjoyed this is that it was nice to see a different Sam, someone harder, edgier and not quite as bound by military protocol as 'our' Sam is.
It's a great exploration of how the character might have developed had someone zigged instead of zagged.

Losted by Aussie (PG)

[skydiver119.livejournal.com]

Losted by Aussie (PG)

Rec Category: Sam
Pairing: Sam and Jack
Category: Humor
Warning: none.
Author on LJ: Not that I'm aware of
Author's Website: Not that I'm aware of
Link:http://www.gateworld.net/fanfic/archive/45/losted.html

Why This Must Be Read: The author calls this fic silly, and I do have to agree with her. But it is also fun. She plays with the reason why Sam likes blue jello so much…and uses a very young Sam visiting her dad to do it. A very young Sam who happens to run into a young Jack.
It's kinda smarmy and sugary, but also fun and cute.

Untitled Lorne-Sheppard ficlet by Sarah (PG-13)

[aithine]

Rec Category: John Sheppard
Character: John Sheppard, Lorne
Category: Character study, gen
Warning: none
Author on LJ: tigs
Author's Website: Sarah's Story Page
Link: her site or on LJ

Why This Must Be Read: Sarah has written several lovely Sheppard pieces, so I had a hard time choosing just one. *g* But in the end I picked this story because it's a look at Sheppard we haven't read a bazillion times already.

When we first meet Major Lorne on SG-1, Daniel Jackson's already driving him pretty crazy, so how in the world is he going to deal with the misfits who run Atlantis? We know that he fits into the Atlantis hierarchy fairly quickly and easily after his trial-by-Rodney in "Runner," so one has to wonder what he observed--before boarding the Daedalus and heading out to serve in another galaxy under a very non-regulation commander--that made him give everybody there--especially Sheppard--a chance.

Sarah's story posits a Lorne who's smart and open-minded enough to do more than just listen to base gossip about the newly-minted lieutenant colonel now officially in charge of the Atlantis garrison. She does a beautiful job showing us Sheppard through Lorne's eyes, effortlessly showing the ease with which Sheppard bounces between his laid-back Mr. Nice Guy persona and the soldier who took down nearly seventy Genii in one day. And she makes me believe that these two men will eventually be comfortable enough working together that they can mock each other in tense situations, as we see them do late in season two.

Don't let the fact that she didn't bother to title the story or missed a few typos while editing steer you away from this hidden gem.