Absinthe Heart by Seema
' "Consider it part of my Hemingway phase," she says as you hand her the drink. / You don't know who Hemingway is nor do you care -- unless he walks into the bar and orders a round of the foul smelling green stuff for everyone.' Lovely precise characterisations as Quark and Ezri almost connect
[Added 15/12/2004; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Acts Of Kindness by JA Chapman
' "Doctor, are you telling me that you missed the entire point of the story?" Garak tutted, "What a shame, I was under the impression that you were more intelligent than that." ' A clever tale within a tale which sheds light on Cardassian values via exploration of their literature. Worth a try despite one or two jarring mistakes
[Added 15/07/2009; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Agent Provocateur by Arcady
"To Elim Garak, she was always that woman." A clever reworking of 'A Scandal in Bohemia' that's well worth a read
[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Crossover]
Big Kid by Paranoid Kitten
Mix Keiko, Miles, Julian, Garak. Stir. A clever and surprisingly plausible vignette
[Added 13/01/2004; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Chosen by Selena
"Undoubtedly, the Prophets would allow her to show him the error of his ways, in time." A tantalisingly brief glimpse at an early chapter in Winn's life
[Added 15/12/2004; Drama; <1000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Clear Conscience by Una McCormack
Post-war politics, devious plotting and a sympathetic original character
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Clever Plan by Gabrielle Lawson
An intricate plot that leaves the reader guessing right to the end, plus a Bashir who remains true to the complex and fascinating character of the series. Set after the series finale
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Discreet Private Inquiry by Henrietta Wotton
'When you work for an organization that catalogues the most private desires and behaviors of every citizen of Cardassia, you’ve run into about every perversion imaginable.' An interesting case for Garak pre-exile, as well as one of the most complete pictures of Cardassian society I've encountered. A brief Postscript is set during the show
[Added 09/12/2005; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Dislocation, Condemnation, Revelation, In Temptation by Sabine
Lovely idiosyncratic details in the dream sections make this piece stand out from the crowd
[Added 15/12/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Eureka! by Henrietta Wotton
Henrietta really gets under Odo's 'skin' here. The Bajoran and Cardassian original characters are also convincingly drawn
[Added 16/04/2003; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The Fabric of our Lives by Una McCormack
'I had not expected to be thinking again so soon of marriage.' A moving character piece, which nails not only the author's speciality, Garak, but also Kira & Jadzia. A real personal favourite
[Added 16/04/2003; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Fire Bringer by Deborah
"Blue-eyed children are lucky, they used to say, children of the Spirits." Worth a try for Dukat's take on Cardassian religion alone
[Added 15/12/2004; Romance/Erotica; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Five Things Which Never Happened by Selena
Five different AUs focusing on the relationship between Kira & Dukat, each one a completely believable story in its own right, with some delicious sideturns from canon. One of the most interesting responses to the 'Five Things...' meme I can recall, in any fandom. Simply wonderful! Paths Not Taken, also highly recommended, repeats the exercise for Garak & Bashir
[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Five-Point Tour of the Alpha Quadrant by Mosca
O'Brien's character development often got sacrificed to his dual Everyman & plot exposition roles on the DS9 roster. These tiny vignettes give him space to breathe
[Added 13/01/2004; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Flowering by Henrietta Wotton
An intelligent look at the physiology and psychology of an alien race
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Adult]
In the Fire Caves by Deborah
'Sometimes the Prophets speak to us in flame.' A powerful & thought-provoking portrait of Winn Adami which fits neatly into the spaces in canon
[Added 30/12/2005; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Incarnations by Mosca
'Time passes differently in the Great Link than it does in the humanoid realm, so I could not say how long I'd spent there. I only knew that it was time I left.' Strays a little off the beaten track, but Mosca's firm grasp of characterisation sweeps the reader along
[Added 08/07/2004; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The Long Haul by Yahtzee
"It's not as though the Starfleet people will be here very long. They'll blow in, full of themselves and proud of their wealth, pretending to be the saviors of the Bajoran people." This quiet character piece, set immediately before the series starts, just matures with each rereading
[Added 15/12/2004; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Marketing by Miggy
' "Your honor," he said in his most obsequious tones. "It is hardly a new business model to involve existing personalities in the pleasurable storylines of holosuites…' Comedy is so hard to write well, but I think Miggy really pulls it off here
[Added 15/12/2004; Humour; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Nom de Plume, Roman a Clef by Arcady
An inventive premise, clever characterisation and a broad streak of humour place these two short stories among the very best I've encountered in this fandom. Folie a Deux forms a longer sequel to both
[Added 16/04/2003; Romance/Erotica; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Obsidian Gothic by Una McCormack
Una's Garak voice is always a treat, and this atmospheric story is one of my favourites
[Added 16/04/2003; Character Piece; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Once Upon A Time by JA Chapman
' "You aren't going to tell me some cock and bull story about how you worked as a waiter for some Klingon restaurant and got shorted a tip by a diplomat who later died choking on gagh or something equally bizarre, are you?" ' A bit rough around the edges, perhaps, but this tale within a tale shows Garak at his manipulative best during his time as a gardener on Romulus
[Added 15/07/2009; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Orfeo by Macedon
'It was the voice of God calling the world into creation, the primeval dawn, and Jake could not listen hard enough.' Macedon cleverly uses an unusual OC to probe the prejudices of the denizens of DS9 in this fandom classic. The sequels, Eye of the Storm & Anslem, worked less well for me
[Added 14/07/2009; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Quark's Day by Selena
Lovely subtle group characterisation, which highlights just how the war has changed the denizens of DS9. Also features a cute cameo courtesy of a crossover, but I won't spoil the surprise by revealing the fandom
[Added 07/07/2004; Character Piece; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Crossover]
The Riding Hound of the House of Tain by Arcady
Arcady combines luscious descriptive prose with a deft touch in characterisation in this unlikely rewriting of The Hound of the Baskervilles
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9; Crossover]
Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth by Cardie-ologist
This realistic look at Resistance and Counter-Resistance measures on Bajor during the Occupation features subtle characterisations and a plausible plot
[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Symbiosis by Nostalgia
'We are, we were, we will be.' Thoughtful and rather unusual Dax piece
[Added 08/07/2004; Character Piece; <1000; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
A Treatise on the Principles of Relativity by Mosca
'This is me, traveling faster than light.' Another excellent character vignette from Mosca's pen: she's encapsulated that strange feeling familiar to anyone who's ever travelled long distance beautifully here
[Added 08/07/2004; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
The War Report by Mosca
'I have grown to hate Fridays.' A quiet, subtle vignette that counts the cost of war through Odo's eyes. Repays rereading
[Added 31/12/2005; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
What Ails You, An Apple a Day by Nostalgia
A possible future for Bashir. Well written, with an excellent characterisation for Garak -- I wish Nostalgia would write him more often, she's very good at it! Pity the biology rivals Trek itself in suckitudinousness. There's also a sequel, Medicinal Purposes, though actually I felt the first two works stood well alone
[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: Deep Space 9]
Star Trek: The Next Generation
A 62-Day Study of the Human Grieving Process by Sloane
A subtle study of Data's thought processes after the death of Tasha Yar, which spirals out to encompass the entire Enterprise crew. One of the few pieces of TNG fanfiction to capture what I love about the show
[Added 05/12/2005; Character Piece; <1000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]
Accidental by Shalott
"Don't you realize that I'm completely beyond your comprehension?" The adaptable Shalott captures Q's voice beautifully in this snippet
[Added 29/07/2004; Romance/Erotica; <1000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]
And Justice For Q by John Berger
'"Q, you are charged with precipitating an invasion of the Federation by putting the U.S.S. Enterprise, NCC-1707-D, into contact with the Borg before such contact would have occurred through natural means."' A particularly thoughtful take on this oft-written idea. Q's choice of defence council is inspired (TNG/TOS)
[Added 14/07/2009; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: The Next Generation; Crossover]
From Me to Q by Julia Houston
Interesting alien species, plausible crew characterisations, plus a plot, to boot! An oldie but a goodie
[Added 21/01/2005; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]
The Institute by Ventura33
'The groundskeeper, looking up from her petunias, almost smiled, but not quite. That was one of the last human attributes to return...' A quiet vignette which uses believable details to make one imagine the unimaginable. Sequel to The Relevance of Hope & Imperfection, but I think it stands well alone
[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: The Next Generation]
The Speed of Sound by Kyra Cullinan
'...it had seemed so unfathomable that everything which passed between them was filtered through electrons and biogel packs, carefully selecting the best way to translate idioms, convey emotion.' A delicate study of character & relationship via language
[Added 14/07/2009; Romance/Erotica; <1000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]
Star Trek: The Original Series
Three Fates, Watching by Kangeiko
'He is six years old, and there is a fat, squirming batch of new memories deposited into his cortex, crawling blinding through his thoughts to find room to grow and fester in the night.' The idea that the Blake's 7 & Trek Federations are mirrors of each other is widespread, but this clever & unsettling story is the first I've seen to run with the notion (TOS Mirrorverse/B7)
[Added 03/09/2009; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: The Original Series; Crossover]
from the greek "xenos" which means "stranger", but also "guest" by Pogrebin
'This is why Nyota Uhura picks xenolinguistics: the ways in which different cultures communicate might differ, but the ways in which they fail to communicate do not.' An interesting study of Uhura & her relationship with Spock. Powerful precise language
[Added 16/07/2009; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: XI]
Lunch and Other Obscenities by Rheanna
' "Look, the only reason we're rooming together is because someone decided that the best phonetic rendering of her name in Standard is almost the same as mine. Can't you just decide to spell Uhu with two O's instead?" Nyota asked, desperate. "Listen: Oo-hoo. That works." ' This starts out as a humorous look at intercultural differences and ends as a sweet affirmation of all that the Federation stands for. Persuasive writing that feels just like canon
[Added 15/07/2009; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: XI]
What We Don't Talk About by Ellen Fremedon
'Closer to the city, the first crop of grain on this planet is ripe. In that field, Vulcans walk behind the robot combine; it only leaves a handful of seed for gleaning, but there'll be a ceremony over that handful later.' An intelligent look at the repercussions of the rebuilding of Vulcan. The warm background details highlight the bleakness of Spock's position
[Added 15/07/2009; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: XI]
The Word for World Is— by Laura JV
' "We are the people of the mountain, and the desert, and the well. I build on the mountain, the highest mountain of Vik, where Laktra meets the sea. Perhaps one day we will be a people of the sea, as well, but we will always need the mountain." ' This interwoven short is at its best in the bittersweet depiction of Vulcan culture. Beautiful
[Added 16/07/2009; Drama; 1000-2500; Star Trek: XI]
