rec: The Road to Shalka (series)

[eve11]

Story:The Road to Shalka
Author: Soldeed
Rating: All ages
Word Count: 98,199 words in five installments
Author's Summary:In the BBCi animated webcast Scream of the Shalka, a lean, cold-eyed Doctor was embittered, lonely and grieving for some past tragedy. Where did he come from? What past adventures had he experienced? And just what happened to leave him so wounded? A serial in 5 separate stories.
Characters/Pairings: Webcast 9th Doctor, Original Companion
Warnings: None given

Recced because: There are a lot of reasons not to click on this series. It's very long. It's all about an obscure Doctor and an original companion who has the detriment of having several Mary-Sue-ish traits at first glance. From the description, it seems like it could devolve very easily into angst and heavy-handed melodrama.

But oh, if you don't trust me on any other rec I make, trust me on this one: click through and read it. Because while it may seem like all of the above at first glance, what it is, is bloody brilliant. I'd never even heard of Richard E Grant's webcast ninth Doctor when I started reading this, but it didn't matter. With deft dialogue and a light-handed, vivid narrative style, Soldeed gives us an instantly recognizable Doctor, with a well-rounded and utterly human companion, in a series of wildly creative adventures. From its humble beginnings with an ancient, AU Eight in calm retirement, through alien invasions, futuristic planets, historical mysteries and dramatic space station showdowns, Soldeed offers nothing less than an Old-school-style Series 27-that-could-have-been for WebCast nine. And it's no less than he deserves. Soldeed knows their Whoniverse and hands us new monsters and old enemies apace-- their characterization of the Master is especially brilliant. Good action/adventure, episode-style fic is so hard to find, and this one's better than good; it's five levels of fantastic. So, give it an afternoon or a series of such to read, and then please join me in telling the author how wonderful they are.

( snippet from Part 1: Born Again )

Rec: Before I Sleep

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

First off, a HUGE apology - I got muddled and thought I was reccing from the 17th, not the 11th. I also had been expecting a reminder email, but never mind; it's still my fault for getting the date wrong. I hope it's okay if I make two recs a day until I've caught up. Sorry, mods!

Story: Before I Sleep

Author: Dune

Rating: All Ages

Author's summary: Time and life blur. Sometimes Jack's grateful, sometimes he's not. But no matter what, he has to live with it

Characters/Pairings: Jack Harkness, with mentions of Tenth Doctor, Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler

Warnings: None

Recced because: This story haunted me for quite some time after reading it. It's Jack's immortal life, many, many thousands of it, and how he manages to live it, 'woven into mankind's history', living and dying, saving the universe and becoming known throughout it. Dune spins a poignant, heart-wrenching, yet ultimately uplifting account of what Jack's life might be like and one way it could eventually end. It's a short vignette, yet packs a punch far greater than many stories ten times its length.

Selected quote:
There're legends about him. The Lonely Wanderer he's called; worshipped and feared throughout the universe. Yet the statues he finds are of an old, wise man, never anything like him. He never ages beyond that one grey hair.

Rec: Suture

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

Story: Suture

Author: Fahye

Rating: All Ages

Author's summary: “Well, as adventures go, it’s certainly not up to your usual standard, Doctor.” Rose’s smile is two points west of normal, but it’s a brave attempt. She sets her tea down, untouched. “No running, no explosions, and no worlds about to end.”

Characters/Pairings: Ninth Doctor, Jack Harkness, Rose Tyler. Gen, with a hint of subtext - no more than was seen on-screen.

Warnings: None

Recced because: If you’ve ever thought that second-person fics don’t work for you, just give this one a try. This is so different from most stories you’ll find around the internet. In terms of plot, it’s fairly straightforward: problem arises, the Doctor diagnoses and works out a solution, Jack and Rose are essential in aiding him, and Jack the big damn hero is willing to sacrifice his life to help save the Doctor. But that really doesn’t do the story justice. It’s the writing style, the switch between the ‘mind’ of the TARDIS and the Doctor to the observations of Jack and Rose - the author really does know how to portray the Doctor as a different species - and the use of words and language to paint a vivid picture, leaving the reader breathless as we approach the conclusion, that makes this a brilliant, memorable story.

Selected Quote:
I am the boiling clouds of space and the jagged rain of the vacuum and I am the vortex of time. I am the inferno that swallowed the enemy.”

Ashes, ashes, the burning paradox of being split apart and existing in every possible time at once. The dust of eternity, and the single igniting spark. This is how a Time Lord kills, obliterates, exterminates.

This is how a Doctor of the Time Lords heals.