List: genre:fanfic

Back to the present timeline, this (long) part of the ongoing series proves fun, and dazzles with payoff. Plus, a new (mature, unexcited, beautiful) romance side-story. And then there's the extremely slow-building (4th long ) power gradient involving the British monarchy ffs (Elizabeth turns to Nizar. “Now then. What are your intentions regarding my kingdom, Lord Nizar?”).

Of a Linear Circle - Part II

by Flamethrower · published 2017 · read 2021-12-25

Second part of a delightful fic. The rapid setup continues – it doesn't obviously lead anywhere yet, except into romance, but the romance is grown-up and delightful and so I won't complain. Continues the general competency porn.

Of a Linear Circle - Part V - Ravenclaw

by Flamethrower · published 2018 · read 2022-01-01

This part of the series goes all in on historical fiction: It follows the backdrop of Rowena Ravenclaw, who is really called Hrodwunn of Hrabanklawa, Bavaria. We get some alright character building, and more importantly, some really fun historical fiction: Hrodwunn is friends with Theophanu, the wife of Otto II, and so her fate ist connected to the complex fate of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. It's well-researched and all kinds of fun (plus, part of it takes place in Quedlinburg).

Of a Linear Circle - Part I

by Flamethrower · published 2017 · read 2021-12-24

Really decent fanfic: The brother of Salazar Slytherin mysteriously falls from his portrait, while Harry Potter has gone missing after is 4th year at school. Nizar, the protrait, continues to oust Umbridge, be a teacher, correct everybody about history, and be pretty badass – with the help of a Severus Snape, whose backstory is kinda neat.

A Study in Emerald

by Neil Gaiman · published 2003 · read 2017-11-28

Sherlock + Cthulhu is a very Gaimanishly Gothic mix.

I Am Also Thy Brother

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2007 · read 2018-02-10

This was a really rewarding (and terribly long) series. I liked the constant self-improvement and evolution the characters had. Even if the plot was predictable at times, and people didn't change much beyond their morality, I liked it, since they evolved in their understanding and behaviour. I even think I learned some things about myself, and have come to think of other things about myself differently – and what more can you ask of any book?

Wind That Shakes the Seas and Stars

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2006 · read 2018-01-20

by determamfidd · published 2017 · last read 2021-01-27

Second War starting up.

Sansûkh

Sansûkh is an incredibly well-researched, detailed, well-written Lord of the Rings fanfiction, telling the whole story from the perspective of the dead dwarves keeping watch over their relatives. Its protagonist is Thorin Oakenshield, and in addition to all the plots told by the primary books, it also features Erebor and Mirkwood. The writing is very appropriate and well-done, and I enjoyed every part of it tremendously. It's funny, and it's epic, and it's very much as it should be.

The Student Prince

by FayJay · published 2010 · read 2019-11-15

The Student Prince is very well-written Merlin (the TV show) fanfiction. You don't need to know the show to enjoy it: It transplants the characters of Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, Lancelot et al into pre-Brexit UK, where they go to college and deal with school and magic. Also national security. Also LGBT issues. I liked it a lot.

A Marauder’s Plan

by CatsAreCool · published 2016 · last read 2023-11-05

Good fanfic, in which Sirius is not an idiot.

The Sea Witch Sets the Record Straight

by Ursula Vernon · published 2013 · read 2022-12-27

Very neat short story that Ursula Vernon dropped on her Livejournal of all places. Ariel from the sea witch's perspective. Liked it a lot. Read it now! (Archived version, just to be safe). This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Lily’s Boy

by SomewheresSword · published 2020 · last read 2024-02-21

Again, actually nice fanfic – same author as the last one, so that's not too surprising. Covers the whole story. Bit standard and boring in places, but then picks up, with some actual foreshadowing. Cedric's death hits much harder than in the books now that there is an actual character involved. Politics, war, buildup and planning. Portraits, departures from cannon, animagi side plots, ancient lore: what's not to love? Enby Tonks in a good relationship, and much queer goodness. Too many happy relationships and bullshit betrothals, but what can you do. A new primary school. A national team. Happily ever after. yeah, this was nice. On re-read: The initial rush through third year is very "we all know what's going on here, right?", but otoh – we do all know what's going on, so there. It's very hard on the "comfort" side of hurt-comfort, with not a ton of tension, but y'know, popcorn reads are good, too. Harry discovering that he's gay by being both into his future boyfriend and totally crushing on the way-too-cool Bill was a nice touch. Towards the end, the fic was very skimmable – in increasingly shorter intervals, the author seemed to decide that now would be a good time for a smut/romance chapter, and they were very same-y. You get very much what's on the tin. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

The Same, But Different

by SomewheresSword · published 2020 · read 2023-02-07

This author just gets queer fanfics. Nice takes on reincarnation, dysphoria, old wisdom and new hormones. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Evitative

by Vichan · published 2020 · last read 2024-02-11

Spent my February reading all the good fics. This one starts as a standard re-sort, then goes sideways into a beautiful take on dark magic, rituals, friendship and love. Like, some of these rituals I just want to adopt for myself. Let's just not talk about the appalling Latin, though. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

before the door of hell lamps burned

by basketofnovas · published 2020 · read 2023-02-09

The brilliantly difficult series is a top contender for my favourite fanfic series. It's ambitious, and it sometimes fails, but especially if you read the one-shots, the author ties it together so well. Possibly the only AO3 author I will read no matter what. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

the glass fortress

by basketofnovas · published 2021 · read 2023-02-10

I could read basketofnovas for a week straight without getting sick of the stories tbh, even though I found the second part getting a bit stuck on occasion, especially in fleshing out the political system. It all comes together once you've read all the one-shots and extended universe, but the first experience was not perfect. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Intensity

by MarauderLover7 · published 2021 · read 2024-10-02

It's wild how this series started out worse than mediocre – because here, it's actually good. Maybe good-for-fanfic, but the upper end of that, at the very least. Characters come together, and act with intelligence (especially the villains, aswell). They have relationships that influence how they live and act in wider society. There's plotting and storytelling, and the writing is decent, too. Huge improvement over anything before, and especially over the first three books.

Influence

by MarauderLover7 · published 2024 · read 2024-10-06

The story continues escalating with real stakes, real character development, and tons of accumulated background that is used well instead of ignored as in the og series. For example, in the very first installation, the series introduces life debts as serious and binding (within a limited context), and this book then sees the bad side working to exploit this mechanism. Characters are also still growing and feeling very vivid and real. Good work.

Measure of a Man

by inadaze22 · published 2022 · read 2024-09-10

Very empathetic take on what having Alzheimers does to a person and their family and friends. The fact that it’s embedded in a slow-burn Harry Potter fanfic romance is basically irrelevant, as it should be – the subject matter is taken on with compassion and intelligence, and even though the romance tropes were sometimes a bit blatant, there was only a minimum of silly misunderstandings and hurt pride (which, you know, isn’t unrealistic, just grating when it’s the only plot point). I particularly appreciated the look at Scorpius, a young child turned nonverbal by the death of his mother, and also that the protagonist has an actually supportive/snarky/etc friend group. The regular Girls Nights with the others (and a mix of tough truths, joking, support, and also conflicts of personality etc) made the whole story come alive rather than feeling like a clinical take on illness mixed with a romance. Really well done.

swallow some of their history

by basketofnovas · published 2024 · read 2024-11-03

basketofnovas is writing amazing stuff again. It’s still in her very cool spin on the Potter universe, only this time it opens up an alternate universe, where Hermione is thrown back in time (and into an alternate universe) and ends up sharing a dorm with Bellatrix Black. It’s, as always, way cool and well-written.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

by Eliezer Yudkowsky · published 2015 · read 2014-11-01

HPMOR is both the best and the worst of rationalist fiction. Terrible, terrible writing, in a physically painful stilted style, and oh-so-fucking superior. There aren't even characters in this story, only symbols.

Of a Linear Circle Part VI

by Flamethrower · published 2018 · read 2022-01-04

More side characters come in to get a role, which is oddly satisfying. The Latin manages to get worse somehow, and for a while, everything looks pretty repetetive, but then we get open war, so I won't complain too much.

Of a Linear Circle - Part VIII - The Second Wizarding War

by Flamethrower · published 2020 · read 2022-01-05

Series continues to be good, with a few caveats: Tons of side characters being treated well means massively slower story progress. General competency porn continues, but the Latin somehow got worse (while the complaints about bad Latin, in-text, remained), which is mildly infuriating. Somebody explain to the author what a Vocative is, please.

Of a Linear Circle - Part VII - Exile

by Flamethrower · published 2018 · read 2022-01-04

Novella, filling in some more backstory stuff. I'm not super well-versed in 14th-15th century Spain and France, so I spent half the time on Wikipedia. Generally entertaining, but too much is already known through previous and later story elements; and the author does not share Vonnegut's skill at telling you the ending, then making you care about how you get there. (Unsurprising and completely fair – asking for Vonnegut when reading fanfics is stupid).

Just a Random Tuesday…

by Twisted Biscuit · published 2006 · read 2021-01-09

Delightfully snarky fanfic, in which we get a mostly canon-compliant inner monologue of McGonagall, mostly about Umbridge, ridiculous students and absurd colleagues. Good length, good general writing style, but lots of fluctuations in quality: Inner monologue good, storytelling mediocre, I think.

Digging for the Bones

by paganaidd · published 2011 · last read 2024-05-19

Decent enough hurt/comfort Severitus. Nothing special, but nothing stupid either.

Maze of Light

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2005 · read 2018-02-11

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2005 · last read 2024-01-09

Interlude.

No Mouth But Some Serpent’s

More like the first, but starting to show its weaknesses: overly-elaborate stupidity.

Saving Connor

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2005 · last read 2024-01-08

Winter is fanfic reading time: Harry, well, lives for saving Connor. Slow burn, very much focussed on character development, but still sees lots of action and lore. It's pretty alright. I liked the depiction of manners and traditions as dances.

A Song In Time of Revolution

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2006 · read 2018-02-01

More Harry and more Draco.

Comes Out of Darkness Morn

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2005 · last read 2024-01-11

More hurt/comfort arcs. Getting long and repetitive with the emoshuns.

Comes Around Again

by scarletjedi · published 2016 · last read 2024-05-19

Sansukh-variation, with travelling back to the past to fix things. Not as well-written as Sansukh, but then again, what is? Decent and entertaining, but might have done more with the added knowledge – "some moments in time are fixed" is such a cope. Also clearly follows the movie more than the book, which is a shame.

The Serpentine Subterfuge

by murkybluematter · published 2013 · read 2019-02-01

The subterfuge works somewhat too well.

The Futile Facade

by murkybluematter · published 2016 · read 2019-02-08

More place-switching, but with people growing up and increasingly high stakes.

The Ambiguous Artifice

by murkybluematter · published 2016 · read 2019-02-02

by murkybluematter · published 2012 · read 2019-02-02

Stakes rise further.

The Pureblood Pretense

Despite the Lemony Snickety naming, an interesting series. Female-Harry has grown up with both parents and her godfather and his son. Due to pureblood idiocy, the two decide to switch places.

Doctor Who: Eleven Doctors, Eleven Stories

by Eoin Colfer · published 2013 · read 2018-01-24

An alright collection of Doctor Who stories, but missable for the most part. Neil Gaiman's Thatcher story was unsurprisingly the highlight of the collection.

The Metropolitan Man

by Alexander Wales · published 2014 · read 2018-03-06

HPMOR, only for superman. Makes Lex Luthor out as a semi-sensible person.

The Arithmancer

by White Squirrel · published 2015 · read 2021-01-03

Honestly decent Harry Potter fanfic: Hermione starts out a math genius and things escalate. Good writing, a bunch of very thoughtful world-building. Close to canon without being stupid or pretentious. Delightfully nerdy, good research. Overdoing the canon in places, I think, and also the meta fandom commentary (but not often and not obnoxiously).

A Study in Winning

by Jupiter_Ash · published 2012 · read 2020-02-24

Too much steam, too much tennis puns, but undeniably good pacing. Follows a formula but follows it well.

Auf Rabenflügeln

by Black Zora · published 2016 · read 2022-06-11

Krabat fanfic where Krabat takes a stance against Juro – unexpected, and unexpectedly good. Plus, I was just surprised that Krabat fanfic exists, honestly! This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Draco Malfoy and the Mirror of Ecidyrue

by starbrigid · published 2020 · read 2023-01-29

Pretty alright. Drew me in with the back-in-time stuff, and apparently I read the entire series. PTSD stuff, as is only right. New friendships. blah. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Draco Malfoy and the Heir of Slytherin

by starbrigid · published 2020 · read 2023-01-28

More of the same. Unreliable narrator, which was fun in places. Very slow burn. Too much patience for this shit, but what can you do. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Draco Malfoy and the House of Black

by starbrigid · published 2020 · read 2023-01-30

Actually decent. Some development, some betrayal, blah. Not great, but could be so much worse. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Draco Malfoy and the Wheel of Hecate

by starbrigid · published 2020 · read 2023-01-31

Getting longer, and more whimsical, not for the better. But the whole wand-branding thing is more than interesting, though already shows sings of shoddy execution, sadly. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Independent Study

by SomewheresSword · published 2020 · last read 2024-02-13

Actually sweet fanfic. Things happen, most of them are not nonsensical, the fluff is somewhat earned and slow to build. Good finale, but then drags on into an overly excessive (even by fanfic standards) happily-ever-after. Anywho, fun. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

the grave of the saint

by basketofnovas · published 2022 · read 2023-02-11

Difficult to tie off a series like this (and I'm perpetually grateful for the one-shots and shorts illuminating the time after the main plot's end). There is too much going on, but I found all the moving parts interesting in the end, and was not disappointed at all. Such a good series/universe. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

i won’t just survive (no you will see me thrive)

by EclipseWing · published 2018 · read 2024-09-15

It's getting dark outside, so it's fanfic season again. This one was really pretty alright – I think I found it while looking for anything featuring basic competence in everybody involved, because even when looking for stupid fanfic comfort reads, incompetence makes me mad.

The Second String

by EiderDown · published 2001 · read 2024-09-17

Sweet, well-written, if not always logical. On the other hand, overpowered overly wise protagonists are a plague, so him being a mix of brave and stupid kinda tracks, honestly. Things are occasionally too handwavy/fanfic-logic, but honestly, good stuff. A rare commitment to actually letting some OC/central characters die with real consequences, but without making it a murderfest.

Identity

by MarauderLover7 · published 2014 · read 2024-09-28

Best of the series so far. Ginny's perspective on possession and second year was well done, even as Gryffindor Draco continued to be weirdly written.

Impose

by MarauderLover7 · published 2016 · read 2024-09-29

The series continues at its new fun-not-stupid fanfic levels, rather than the first volume of why-please-stop levels, so that's nice.

survival is a talent

by ShanaStoryteller · published 2024 · read 2024-09-12

Solid fanfic. Hypercompetent kids get a bit much sometimes, maybe, but competence porn is a thing I’m happily falling victim to sometimes, so this is just a nice read when I want to be reassured that sometimes people are competent and have a drive to do what they want, and do it with their friends.

Of a Linear Circle - Part IX - Serpent in the Grass

by Flamethrower · published 2021 · read 2022-01-07

The rest of this series was so good, but the last part just wasn't. It's backstory, in a way, but more importantly it sees itself as just backstory. Nobody gets any depth, everything is narrated as if this was the Silmarillion, family histories are recited as if we're in competition with the Old Testament … and then, emotionally important moments are skipped and mentioned in passing. Yikes.

Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals

by BitterKarella · published 2020 · read 2021-09-26

Midnight Society is a Twitter account that I really and honestly enjoy reading, so when the recent Kickstarter came out, I backed it and got both the new and the old book – but I shouldn't have bothered. It's not that the production quality is bad (it's A4 print-on-demand, you get what you expect), it's that there was no care taken with the presentation at all.

Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals II

by BitterKarella · published 2021 · read 2021-09-28

More of the same: Good ideas, but go read them on Twitter, as the print version takes zero care with the layouting. Still glad I supported the account, but man, what a wasted chance.

Freedom And Not Peace

by Lightning on the Wave · published 2006 · last read 2024-01-11

Harry trains his brother. So very repetitive. Each successive book is longer than the last, with not much to show for it. Stopping here on my re-read.

Bloodlust & Bonnets

by Emily McGovern · published 2019 · read 2021-10-24

A sweet comic book by the author of "My life as a background Slytherin", following the trio consisting of an inconsistent annoying protagonist, a mysterious silent annoying side character and an Extremely Annoying Lord Byron on their, uh, "adventures". It's funny, but I'm sure it works much better as single episodes, because the plot just … isn't. I'm always down to make fun of Byron, though.

The Just City

by Jo Walton · published 2015 · read 2020-03-10

A very cerebral, nearly clinical book, and I wanted to like it more than I actually liked it. I'm very here for the character of Socrates, and … not much else, to be quite honest. It's a fun concept, but I felt that even where it tried to go past the clinical, detached nature, it remained off. High quality, but not for me.

A Year Like None Other

by Aspen in the Sunlight · published 2006 · last read 2022-06-06

Decent Severitus, I suppose – okay writing, absurd amounts of processing, and follows the hurt/comfort rules to a t.

FINDING HIMSELF

by Minisinoo · published 2008 · read 2020-02-25

Decent for fanfic, better representation of minorities than the original books.

Annals of Arithmancy

by White Squirrel · published 2019 · read 2021-01-05

Last part of the trilogy. Not bad per se, but far from good. A collection of "look where I could take this" stories, loosely connected. No urgency or impact, really. Better than the original epilogue, but what isn't.

Lady Archimedes

by White Squirrel · published 2018 · read 2021-01-04

Second part of a Harry Potter fanfic. Better plot elements, maybe, but worse writing – started being a drag at some point. Still good execution on the theme of "what if science nerd, but Hermione" – several leagues more plausible and readable than HPMOR. I still like how it quotes extensively from pop and less-pop culture, and how it integrates then-current events.

A Study in Doubles

by Jupiter_Ash · published 2013 · read 2020-02-24

Bit less inspired than the first part, but still solid writing. Thankfully less of the tennis puns.

Draco Malfoy and the Talon Brand

by starbrigid · published 2020 · read 2023-02-01

Sigh. Relationships. Brands. Blah. Any decent fanfic series inevitable goes insane. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Draco Black and the Prisoner of Nurmengard

by starbrigid · published 2022 · read 2023-02-02

Still more silly super-hero, super-villain super-drama. I did like parts of the prison arc, actually, but the general protagonist idiocy was just off the charts. This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Draco Black and the Bastard Dragon

by starbrigid · published 2022 · read 2023-02-03

We call it "trying too hard". Falls down all the terrible pitfalls of terrible fanfic. (You know, among the fanfic that is readable and has an understanding of grammar and punctuation.) This book is part of the 2022 Backlog Incident.

Initiate

by MarauderLover7 · published 2014 · read 2024-09-22

Slightly better than the first part, but not by much. The fanfic logic is still making my brain hurt. Please, god, why.

The Best Revenge

by Arsinoe de Blassenville · published 2010 · read 2024-10-06

Infinite fluff. It's just … mountains of fluff. Not even a good take on competent adults or anything, just "what if everything just worked out forever".

Taking Control

by fake a smile · published 2008 · read 2024-11-03

Yawn. Classic way overpowered fanfic protagonist who is super special and nearly everybody else is stupid or evil, but He Prevails And Also Finds True Love. Even while needing a power fantasy, it feels kinda cheap.

Vita Brevis

by Jostein Gaarder, Anne Born · published 1996 · read 2020-11-02

★☆☆☆☆ (did not finish)

Jostein Gaarder is hit-and-miss for me at the best of times, and this wasn't the best of times. Vita Brevis is the fictional letter (complete with frame plot about finding it in an old book store blah blah) of St Augustine's wife to the man himself after he became famous. It's St Augustine fanfiction. Not my genre.

A Summer Like None Other

by Aspen in the Sunlight · published 2013 · read 2020-02-28

Doubles down on the weaknesses of the first part: excessive processing, repetitive and predictable. Okay writing, occasionally humorous dialogue, bug still little action spread out by virtue of extreme blathering.

A Family Like None Other

by Aspen in the Sunlight · published 2023 · read 2020-02-29

Look, this is still farly decent in writing (though it continues the big fault of spending 90% of time on telling, not showing, and processing). But the "problems" posed are so contrived, so frustrating, that I really fail to see the point. An author is supposed to chase the protagonist up the tree and pelt them with coconuts, yes, but making the floor magically vanish, have them fall onto a tree, and have it rain coconuts is a bit much.

Alexandra Quick and the Thorn Circle

by Inverarity · published 2007 · read 2019-02-09

American Harry Potter spin-off.

Innocent

by MarauderLover7 · published 2013 · read 2024-09-21

Logic is the author's enemy. Frustrating read, because there were some neat ideas in there. It's a longer series and I shudder to think how bad the plotting and characters will get when built on a basis this shaky.

Time of the Basilisk

by Arsinoe de Blassenville · published 2010 · read 2024-10-07