February 3rd, 2009
But Where Have You Been?
Since posting The Death of Narcissa Black a few weeks back, I’ve been on the receiving end of a veritable onslaught of comments and emails asking whether or not that rec means I’m “back”. I’m a little shocked at how many pleas for more I’ve received, to be honest; who knew there were so many people following this little backwater Harry Potter rec site? The response was so overwhelming that I feel it deserved an answer.
That answer is: sort of. (Pretty wishy-washy, I know, but maybe better than nothing?)
I do still read Harry Potter fanfiction, though less than I used to, partly because the Harry Potter fandom is now time-sharing my fic-brain with other fandoms, and partly because Real Life demands have been significant drains on my fandom time over the last six months. Hopefully my life will be returning to a somewhat normal state at the end of the month. If and when that happens, it’s likely to be reflected here.
I will likely not return to posting daily, but I could probably be convinced to post weekly. Perhaps even twice weekly, should the fanfic godesses bless with good fortune of the fic variety. Since the release of Deathly Hallows, the output of fiction has slowed significantly and many of my go-to authors have turned their skills to other fandoms, so it does take a little more hunting to find the good stuff.
I have continued to receive suggestions and recs over the last few months, and I thank you for them. Many of the novel-length recs have fallen by the wayside, simply because of the time investment they require to read, though I’ve bookmarked them for a time when life allows. As always, I encourage people suggesting fic to submit them to me in the C&C Why-You-Should/Might-Not-Care format to be used as guest recs, which are always more likely to make it to the site than unformatted suggestions.
Thanks again for watching and enjoying Coffee and Chocolate, and for all the positive and warm feedback. You’ll be seeing more of me in the months to come!
Comment (7) »February 3rd, 2009
The Hands of a Healer
The Hands of a Healer by Lazy Neutrino
Summary: She has no children, and thousands of children. Drabble, 926 Words.
Why You Should Care: Because the teacher and student relationship between Pomona Sprout and Severus Snape is rich in layers, and Sprout’s sadness at the path Snape chose is palpable. The writing is top-notch, and Sprout comes alive. It’s wonderful to see Sprout interact with a student other than Neville.
Why You Might Not Care: The first phrase about Frank Longbottom is not as seamlessly tied into the others as I would have liked. The lead-in works, but I think lingers in too many words and misdirects the piece, then never gets tied off. His connection to this story seems too device-like, even though the section is beautifully written and very powerful. It feels like there’s a link missing somewhere.
Comment »December 4th, 2008
The Death of Narcissa Black
The Death of Narcissa Black by Winkout
Summary: Narcissa never intended to marry, but circumstances change and needs must. The darkest thing I could think of was abandoning the person you want to be for the person you feel you must be, so that’s what this is about. Art Fic, 1,000 Words with Illustrations (some rated R).
Why You Should Care: Wow. Between the story itself and the amazing artwork, I’m a bit shell-shocked. I’ve not got enough artistic background to really give you a solid critique of the art, but the style and the colours were so unique and well suited to the subject matter that I read the whole thing twice over, the second time just for the art. The story itself is well written and presses all the right buttons in all the right orders, and it creates a truly sad tragedy around Narcissa with this completely different take on her character. I would gladly purchase this as a real paper-and-binding book.
Why You Might Not Care: Some of the art is definitely Not Work Safe. Which only means you should read it at home instead of at work, not that you shouldn’t read it at all. Really, really wonderful. (It brought me back to make a rec after, oh, five months now is it? *grins*)
Comment (9) »July 2nd, 2008
Untitled
Untitled by Fernwithy
Summary: By now we’ve all got a pretty good understanding of the dynamics between the Marauders, but what about the Marauders’ mothers? Drabble, 668 Words.
Why You Should Care: Quite possibly because I’m a little bit in love with this particular characterisation of Dorea Potter, who seems to cheerfully fill the role of James Potter’s mother with style and a bag-load of zingers her son would be proud of. It’s also delightful to see Fernwithy remember that, even though Dorea ultimately chose to be a Potter, she’s also a Black, and she shows it. (The rest of the ladies are well characterised, too.)
Why You Might Not Care: The problem with doing this well is that now it’s too short! I wanted more Dorea, but I suppose I’ll have to make due with what I’m given.
Comment (2) »June 28th, 2008
Man of Property
Man of Property [Part One] [Part Two] by Josan PQ
Summary: After the war, an injured veteran Severus Snape finds sanctuary. AU, 7,000 Words.
Why You Should Care: There’s something very human about this story, something warm that we can all engage with. It seems to deal with the trivial facts of one man’s attempts to return to reality, but occasionally it seamlessly slips into something deeper where it has the ability to shed some light on darker topics. Extra points for exciting facts about House-Elves.
Why You Might Not Care: Written pre-DH so Snape Lives. Gratuitious pretty house-porn, and also gratuitious house-elves.
Comment »June 25th, 2008
Immature
Immature by Walkingcensure
Summary: Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter are seven years old, plump, cute, and innocent. Life for them is all about cake, ice cream, friendship bracelets, and premature vows of love. Humour, 8,713 Words.
Why You Should Care: Because it’s so cute! Mini!Marauders and Mini!Lily may just be the best things ever. There’s a wonderful ruefullness about reading this story, it takes you back to the dramas of being seven and all the crazy stuff you used to believe and it’s fun. Additionally, the author manages to keep all the characters pretty in character, and also passably young. It’s a nice gimmick, but done so well that it feels like more.
Why You Might Not Care: Vaguely AU. Also, small people are not everyone’s cup of tea. Plus, Lily/James.
Note: I haven’t actually been able to pin down Chelle about recs, but I guess I’ll just post as many as I can as often as I can until Chelle tells me not to…?
Comment (2) »June 13th, 2008
Short Hiatus
I’m sure you’ve all noticed by now that the updates over the last two weeks have been sporadic at best. This is due to some out of the ordinary work obligations that are eating my time and making it difficult to keep up my rigorous fanfiction reading schedule. Because of this, I’m going to have to take a short hiatus — this should not last longer than through the end of next week. At that point, I should be able to update daily as is the mandate of this site.
In the meantime, if you’ve read any good fanfic lately, I encourage you to send in Guest Recs to share, which I can immediately publish to the hungry readers out there.
Comment »June 6th, 2008
Death and King’s Cross
Death and King’s Cross by Sciathan File
Summary: Who was to know Death had etiquette enough to be personalized? Oneshot, 10,074 Words.
Why You Should Care: Because it’s my very favorite Harry Potter afterlife fic ever, I think. It’s amazingly well characterised and considered, with each afterlife tailored to the individual. It is completely canon, having been launched from the springboard of the King’s Cross chapter in Deathly Hallows, and it’s just really, really well done. JKR would approve, I think. Hedwig’s interlude especially made me smile.
Why You Might Not Care: If you dislike afterlife fics, that is all this one is about. Otherwise, it’s really an excellent comment on the characters it covers. Definitely worth the time to read.
Comment (7) »June 5th, 2008
The Chocolate Frog War
The Chocolate Frog War by Leni Jess
Summary: The war is over, and Severus Snape is in Azkaban. With Chocolate Frogs. Could there be worse? Well, yes. Correspondence about them. Just what is really going on? Oneshot, 4,918 Words.
Why You Should Care: I… don’t really know. I just like something about it. Probably the complete randomness of the situation that is dealt with in (almost) all seriousness. It’s a grand battle of the wills over something completely insane. It’s wacky. It doesn’t quite make sense. It might be crackfic, except that it doesn’t read quite like crackfic.
Why You Might Not Care: It ends with several questions unanswered, and even after three read-overs I’m still not quite sure what all actually happened. But I still like it, possibly because it’s just… odd. A very strange and possibly unique piece of fanfic.
Comment »June 4th, 2008
Ravenclaw
Ravenclaw by Fourth Rose
Summary: “It’s all there in front of you, waiting for you to discover it.” Drabble, 600 Words.
Why You Should Care: I like the idea, and the observations of Hermione and Draco are are well made, I think. We so rarely get the opportunity to explore the world through eyes that aren’t Gryffindor or Slytherin, and this Ravenclaw mind is thoughtful and nearly poetic.
Why You Might Not Care: The only problem I have with this is the same problem I have with other pieces like it, which is that I often feel we too easily stereotype Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs using the small handful of buzz words that appear in Sorting Hat songs. Having said that, the entire sorting process is rather an exercise in stereotyping, so perhaps I’m just being difficult.
Comment (1) »June 3rd, 2008
The Taste Of Smoke
The Taste Of Smoke by Tani
Summary: There are some things that cannot be forgotten. For George Weasley, the taste of smoke is one of them. Oneshot, 1,218 Words.
Why You Should Care: Because everyone has to grow up, even if part of their charm is that they never really completely do. Fred and George learn that lesson made famous by Ben Parker: with great power comes great responsibility.
Why You Might Not Care: Not as poignant as it maybe could have been. This could have hurt like a slap to the face, and perhaps it would have been better for it. As is, it’s more uneasy than jarring; still effective, but less powerful.
Comment »June 2nd, 2008
Huffle Tonks Story
Huffle Tonks Story by Fernwithy
Summary: “It was decided that Hufflepuff would make fine Jedi, archaeologists, and alien finders, while Gryffindors could perhaps do well fighting against things that had knives on their fingertips. Ravenclaws were only for the serious sorts of films, and Slytherins were gaily relegated to serving as magical nannies for the children of stuffy bankers, to be blown about by umbrellas in the wind.” Oneshot, 2,030 Words.
Why You Should Care: This is light, fuffy fair that has no broader purpose than to have a bit of fun with Tonks and her Hufflepuff contemporaries, and in that it does its job splendidly. In the Harry Potter books, we spend so much time with Gryffindors looking out at the other houses that it’s really refreshing to have the chance to experience one of the other houses; to see what being in that house means to them and what they think of the others. Superbly characterised as all Fernwithy stories are.
Why You Might Not Care: A bit of pointless fun, but well worth it.
Comment »May 30th, 2008
A Marauder’s Map
A Marauder’s Map by Xylodemon
Summary: Seven memories found in Sirius Black’s pensieve, one for each of his years at Hogwarts. Oneshot, 7,076 Words.
Why You Should Care: Xylodemon always delivers something worth a read, quite frankly, and these seven pinches from Sirius Black’s school-days is no exception. There’s enough character to keep the boys defined, though this fic’s focus is Sirius in particular. My favorite bits are the pranks — good Marauder pranks are difficult to come up with, especially ones that mix magical execution with light-hearted, boyish goals.
Why You Might Not Care: It’s a little overly generic, to tell the truth, though perhaps it wasn’t back when it was written in September 2005. Similarly, a splash of Remus/Sirius is thrown in and then never really developed or explained, which makes its inclusion — for me — a little pointless, though die-hard Remus/Sirius shippers will probably disagree vehemently.
Comment »May 29th, 2008
The Delusionist
The Delusionist by Sciathan File
Summary: In the Wizarding World, people who have passed on are remembered by their portraits. Some cling to these seemingly living and breathing works of magic and forget that they are, like Muggle portraits, breathed into life by the artist who created them. Oneshot, 9,300 Words.
Why You Should Care: This is a really excellent look at a concept in the Harry Potter world rather than a particular character — though the ones that appear are as well written as you could possibly wish for — and it is by far the most interesting and complete consideration wizarding portraiture has received. It is a story about the process and the hand that creates the portrait just as much as it is about the cultural traditions based around the portrait. This fic is anchored by an original character that is well suited to the subject matter, crafted to suit the explorative nature of the piece, and the fic’s non-linear style acts as a focusing lens on scenes that might otherwise have been about the characters in them. Fabulously well done.
Why You Might Not Care: This is one of those fics that is more about an idea than a character, and some folk don’t bother to read anything that hasn’t got a “/” in it somewhere. Sure to attract and be remembered by the genfic connoisseur.
Comment (3) »May 28th, 2008
Stand Helplessly Before The Spirit At Bay
Stand Helplessly Before The Spirit At Bay by Paradise Loved
Summary: Albus Dumbledore comes to convince Remus Lupin to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position. Oneshot, 2,584 Words.
Why You Should Care: Because it’s something different for Remus, that seems neither completely canon nor at all fanon. Paradise’s pre PoA Remus is a shadow, haunted by ghosts twelve-years dead or gone, and one gets the sense that he never really moved on past that ill-fated Haloween night. His depression permeates this piece, carrying a hollow, dusty weight of something that has been hanging over him long enough now that he’s become used to it and dulled by it.
Why You Might Not Care: This doesn’t connect entirely well with the Remus in PoA, and while that may seem a trifle nit-picky, I feel there could have been a better transition made and that the fic would have been stronger for it. This is also not the strongest characterisation of Dumbledore I’ve read — though it isn’t by any stretch the weakest either; he does serve his purpose well enough, however, albeit without his trademark twinkle.
Comment »May 27th, 2008
Literacy
Literacy by Sin Fin
Summary: Sirius is an illiterate bastard, James doesn’t care for the Dark Arts, Peter just wants to pass Astronomy, and Remus is a werewolf. Hogwarts, years 1 and 2. Oneshot, 6,000 Words.
Why You Should Care: This is not quite canon and also not quite the typical characterisation of the young Marauders, but there’s something about it that still just works in that way fics sometimes do. The characterisations are solid enough that you get a feel for these boys as individuals, and tying the discovery of Remus’ lycanthropy into the theme of literacy is a nice touch.
Why You Might Not Care: It ends rather suddenly, I think because the thematic elements weren’t as tight as I wished they were throughout all the facets of the story — you’re left hanging because there’s the feeling there ought to be more, that the author hasn’t quite said everything she meant to say. As a whole, it lacks… something. It feels unfinished and loose.
Comment (2) »May 26th, 2008
And But For The Sky
And But For The Sky by WinglessFlight
Summary: And never say Sirius didn’t love them. He loved them, all of them, whatever they’d done and whoever they’d become. Drabble, 975 Words.
Guest Rec’d By: Glynnis Griffiths
Why You Should Care: Because it’s tightly written - even poetic in spots - and manages to convey a great deal of feeling in few words without going overboard into gratuitous angst. Sirius reflecting in Azkaban is hard to nail, and WinglessFlight strikes a wonderful balance between the inherent madness of the place and the thing that is keeping Sirius from completely succumbing to it.
Why You Might Not Care: Well, it strikes a great balance but it’s still angst of the first order. If you’re looking for fluff, look elsewhere.
Comment »May 23rd, 2008
The End To ‘Always’ Evermore
The End To ‘Always’ Evermore by Juniperus
Summary: Snape. And redemption. And Poe. Drabble, 571 Words.
Why You Should Care: It’s Poe! And unrequited angsty Snape/Lily, which you just know Poe would secretly fangirl! And just a smidgen of parody! And Poe!
Why You Might Not Care: Didn’t you hear me say there was Poe? Why are you still reading this rec and not reading Snape/Lily Poe?
Comment »May 22nd, 2008
Still Too Early To Dream
Still Too Early To Dream by Andromeda311
Summary: Sometimes, Molly hates Lily Potter. Drabble, 218 Words.
Why You Should Care: This is all sorts of yes, because it’s just right. Of course — of course — Molly would feel that way. And all this ‘of course’ fits so well in drabble form that it makes it just that much better; it’s wonderful and simple and packs a sturdy punch, just like a good drabble should.
Why You Might Not Care: I rec’d Andromeda311 yesterday, but it’s my site and I’ll double-dip authors if I wanna!
Comment »May 21st, 2008
Stasis
Stasis by Andromeda311
Summary: There is no hero. There is no villain. There is only redemption and damnation, success and failure. Oneshot, 5,137 Words.
Why You Should Care: Because it’s the Regulus everyone writes except that it’s so much better. This characterisation is everything I’ve been missing in Regulus fics — darker, harsher, more bitter, and on a path clearly marked by self-destruction. This is a character sketch I can sink my teeth into, and one that is sure to be enjoyed by darkfic readers.
Why You Might Not Care: You might like seeing Regulus as more a victim of circumstance than this portrays. Like Snape, Regulus makes his own bed in this one.
Comment »
« Previous Entries |