Heaven for Beginners by wojelah (R)

[astridv.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Jennifer Keller
Pairing: Rodney/Jennifer
Category: romance, futurefic, humor
Warning: spoilers for 5x16 'Brain Storm'
Author on LJ: wojelah
Author's Website: on LJ: wojelah's fic, in aggregate
Link: Heaven for Beginners

Why This Must Be Read:
Summary: "They've had a lot of "dates" - for Jennifer, the conferences are really pretty much old hat these days, and she considers herself something of an expert in the peculiar sociology of astrophysicists." ~1,200

A short but insightful and amusing futurefic. I love how their relationship is portrayed. The many little details make the story.

That Inverted Bowl We Call the Sky by Rigel (PG)

[paian]

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson
Character: Daniel Jackson, Kasuf, Sha're
Category: Abydos, Daniel Jackson, Daniel/Sha're, pre-series, Sha're
Warning: None
Author on LJ: rigel_7
Author's Website: Fanfiction Index
Link: That Inverted Bowl We Call the Sky

Author's summary: She had bound him. Tethered his life to her own.


Why This Must Be Read:

Today in the Daniel Jackson category, it's two fics where Daniel is seen through others' eyes. This one is a strikingly lovely look at Daniel through Sha'uri's eyes, seventeen days after Kasuf sent her in "to appease the emissary of the gods" -- when they are still sweetly new to each other, but so many of Daniel's most defining characteristics are already charmingly and forebodingly evident.

The fic draws a vivid picture of Abydos, with lush sensory detail and the suggestion of far cities, intimations of how much more world there is beyond the settlement near the gate that has become Daniel's home. Descriptions of weather and terrain, significant objects, imagery and symbolism and thematic conceits resonate with each other and wind around each other, echoing the binding that Sha'uri's sympathetic magic tries to cinch tight. But the beauty has a bitter bite of foreknowledge -- ours and that of the augur in the fic and, beautifully and sadly to her credit, Sha'uri's. This is the Daniel who will never stop digging in the sand to reach beyond the sky, the Daniel whose curiosity and restlessness will shake the galaxy, and Sha'uri already senses what it will cost her. Tragedy is as far off, now, as those far cities, and as implicitly present, part of the warp and woof of their otherwise peaceful, happy lives.

1807 words.

( excerpt )

Scenes From an Intergalactic Marriage by live_brave (PG-13)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard
Pairing: Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard
Category: Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard, Het, John Sheppard & Teyla Emmagan friendship, Teyla Emmagan, John Sheppard, Team, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Future, FutureFic, Friendship
Warning: PG-13 is strictly for a little salty language
Author on LJ: http://live-brave.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/128984/
Link: http://live-brave.livejournal.com/36725.html

Why This Must Be Read: My law school's semester end comes alarmingly early in the year so I currently feel the need for comfort fic to cope with my beyond stressful finals. I always turn to one of the more beloved genres in the John/Teyla pairing, that of the angsty but ultimately happy-ending plot of John and/or Teyla struggling with what they believe to be unrequited and team-destroying feelings for the other until they learn the other feels the same, leading to commitment/marriage. I get especially excited when an author manages to deal realistically with what happens in a relationship after those initial moments, which even Jane Austen never managed to move beyond.

I recently rediscovered this gem and remembered just how much I loved it. Scenes From An Intergalactic Marriage was quite deservedly nominated for a 2008 Isis award. It stands out as one of the best and most charming of the genre. Another of my favorites is Wedjatqi's Making a House a Home, previously recommended, to which I return to again and again. live_brave manages here to make a rather tired story convention feel fresh and emotionally vibrant. The tone is wryly funny and true. The trick is all in the writing rather than the events of the story, which follows the couple over the course of many years in Atlantis. The two's chemistry is combustible and tangible. The writer deftly and thoughtfully handles the issues that arise from John's awkwardness and emotional repression, Teyla's tendency towards inscrutability, the cultural clash of two galaxies (which play out in surprising ways), and living where you work on a forward operating base in an active war zone. The little details of the characterizations are pitch-perfect and gave me little thrills of recognition. Best of all, the author manages the rare feat of genuinely suspenseful and laugh-out-loud hilarious moments in less than 4600 words.

( A snippet to whet your appetite... )

Ellis Island by meyerlemon (PG)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Het
Pairing: Aiden Ford/Kate Heightmayer, Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard, hinted Elizabeth Weir/Rodney McKay
Category: Het, Apocafic, Aiden Ford, John Sheppard, Teyla Emmagan & John Sheppard friendship, Kate Heightmayer, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Angst, Sad, Aiden Ford/Kate Heightmayer, Teyla Emmagan/John Sheppard, hinted Elizabeth Weir/Rodney McKay, character study
Warning: pre-fic character death
Author on LJ: http://meyerlemon.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/479061/meyerlemon
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2477728/1/Ellis_Island

Why This Must Be Read: This story starts on a bleakly sad note; Atlantis has been lost and many died in the evacuation. Yet the author evokes a growing sense of hope and new beginnings as she moves from the perspective of Aiden Ford to Kate Heightmayer (this story is also exceptional for giving these two rarely used characters equal time to the leads) to Rodney to John.  The tentative relationships are neither the point of the story nor an afterthought, but rather the natural outcome of the intersections of these people's emotional development. The author's characterizations are exquisite, despite this haunting story's shortness. I won't soon forget the image of Rodney tending the graves or the beauty of the moment in which John finally allows himself to show weakness and let Teyla comfort him.

The Return of the Dragons by Mithreon (NC-17)

[cathliu.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: AU
Pairing: McKay/Sheppard, McKay/Other
Categor: AU, H/C, Atlantis, Slash
Warning: Slash, Non-Consensual, torture
Author on LJ: mithreon
Author's Website:
Link: The Return of the Dragons

Author's summary: The magicians were their most important defense against the Wraith.

Why This Must Be Read:

Well, there are dragons!

Actually, not so much at first. But there are lots of magic floating around. And treachery and spells and angst and love and music and...Rodney Rant TM. Can't really have a good Rodney-centric story without some Rodney Rant TM.

The Return of the Dragons is the first story in Mithreon's The Return of the Dragons series (The Return of the Dragons, The Poisoning, Natural Relations, and Junction). In this story, we are introduced to Rodney McKay, a rare and powerful Grey Magician. His abilities inspire great envy amongst many. And some are willing to do anything to control it. 

There's a nice balance of action, angst, and romance here.The narrative in these stories is clean and clear. The character's voices  are very much their own, especially Rodney. 

I enjoy the occasional fantasy novel and I found this series to be comparable to some of them. There is enough magic and dimensional hopping to engage my interest. And the slasher in me is kept happy with the romance between John and Rodney.  Although the really cool magic and dragons doesn't come out to play until the second story, there is enough magic in The Return to make for a good teaser. The world building doesn't really start until later, too,  but it is a beautiful world and well worth the read.

Oh, and don't let the "torture" warning scare you away. It is not referring to that kind of torture (ie thumbscrews and racks and whips). There is suffering, and it is an intense scene, but no one is trying to break any one's bones. At least not in this first story...

Birds of a Feather by wabbitseason (G)

[asugar.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Het
Pairing: hint of future Laura Cadman/Evan Lorne, blatant Laura Cadman/jumper
Category: Het, Major Evan Lorne, Laura Cadman, John Sheppard, Comedy, Friendship, Gen, Laura Cadman/Evan Lorne
Warning: ie: Het, Slash, Character Death (This is a must!)
Author on LJ: http://wabbitseason.livejournal.com/
Author's Website: http://vedma.dreamhost.com/
Link: http://community.livejournal.com/oddball_sga/68405.html

Why This Must Be Read: I love the buoyantly fun and sincere Birds of a Feather, in which Lorne teaches Cadman to fly a jumper at Sheppard's request. This story has everything I love, from Sheppard and Lorne dealing in their usual humorous and capable fashion with the mundane details of running the Atlantis military installation, interactions between Cadman and Lorne, and flying, my absolute favorite story theme. The author beautifully captures Cadman's joy when she first realizes what flying feels like. It's an equally electric moment for Lorne and the reader. One can almost feel Lorne tip just then from grudging respect for his subordinate to friendship and the possibility of something more. This is a gen story, despite their chemistry, but I count Cadman becoming just as smitten with the jumpers as Lorne and Sheppard. This fic also gives a nice little nod to wickedwords' wonderful The Jumper Lesson, which I highly recommend.

Adrenaline by Betacandy (PG)

[paian]

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson
Characters: Daniel Jackson, Janet Fraiser, Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter, Teal'c
Category: Action adventure, character study, Daniel Jackson, Daniel/Janet friendship, gen, humor, Jack/Daniel friendship, Janet Fraiser, SG-1, team
Warning: General spoilers through S7; spoiler in the author's notes for Season 7 Episode 18
Author on LJ: betacandy
Author's Website: All the Stories, with Summaries
Link: Adrenaline

Author's summary: After all these years of SG-1 seeing Janet Fraiser in action, she finally gets to see them in action.

Why This Must Be Read:

More than seven years after Rigel's fic, in another, very different off-Earth context, Daniel -- and SG-1, and the gate-team experience -- seen through Janet Fraiser's eyes.

Fraiser is a military officer, and although her time in the field has been limited, she can't help but compare her skills and her reactions under fire with those of SG-1's civilian member. She also has some fundamental preconceptions about Daniel, despite knowing how much time he has logged in a field unit. As Fraiser, her two medics, SG-1 and SG-9 come under attack offworld at the opening of the fic, those preconceptions are quickly dashed -- and as the SG personnel take refuge in a cave and plan their exit strategy, she has time to reflect, and watch, and prompt for information. She's a keen, thoughtful observer who knows the people under her medical charge quite well, and her conversation with Daniel is illuminating; his account of himself and his team is as entertaining and interesting as Fraiser's take on them.

As a bonus, 'Adrenaline' -- though not really technically an AU -- makes a wonderful alternative to 'Heroes.' It also features some lovely brushstroke characterization of Fraiser's medics, enjoyable Jack and Daniel-Jack friendship, and a delightful exchange between Daniel and Carter towards the end.

A fic full of Fraiser goodness, teamy goodness, humor, insight, and Daniel.

About 4600 words.

( excerpt )

Separation Anxiety, by Debby (PG)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Teal'c and Daniel friendship
Pairing: none
Categories: Teal'c and Daniel friendship, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson, General Hammond, gen, episode related, angst, drama
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Entlzha's Fanfiction Home
Link: Separation Anxiety

Why This Must Be Read: Debby offers a fantastic retelling of Solitudes from Daniel's POV, weighed by his desperate determination to find Jack and Sam and his promise to Teal'c that they will somehow get their friends back. Teal'c and Daniel's friendship is steadfast and solid in the course of their support for one another during their search.

Great scenes with Hammond, superb Teal'c, and excellent Daniel perspective. Separation Anxiety is definitely a keeper.

( snippet of fic... )

Remnant, by Wonderland (G)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Episode related
Pairing: none
Categories: episode related, gen, Daniel, Mackenzie
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: sg_wonderland
Author's Website: My fics
Link: Remnant

Why This Must Be Read: In the aftermath of Legacy, Daniel knocks on Mackenzie's door to discuss medical history, privacy, genetics, and how his future at the SGC might be impacted by his mistaken commitment to Mental Health.

If you are one of those in the fandom who demonize Mackenzie, you're not going to like this fic very much. But if you believe that Mackenzie made a genuine mistake and is actually a competent doctor - if you think that a man who is part of the SGC for at least seven years (Mackenzie reads Daniel's MRI in Lifeboat) must actually be good at what he does - then you'll find yourself utterly delighted by this intelligent and almost clinical story.

And if you're not quite sure where you stand with Mackenzie, then give the fic a try - I assure you that you'll find yourself very pleased with what you read!

( snippet of fic... )