Compiled by the Espresso Addict

Espresso Recommendations

Innovative and stylish fanfiction, showcasing the very best across multiple sf, fantasy & literature fandoms. Good writing in all its forms can be found here, including gen, het, slash, OCs, AUs, crossovers, future fics, humour & pastiche

Contents: 1010 recs in 235 fandoms; 65 links

Narnian Chronicles

Aslan

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And Bide the Danger by MiraMira

'"She buys other things. A carving of a stag. A knife. Couple of pieces of furniture. A busted green ring that looked like something out of Zonko's, 'cept I couldn't figure out what kind of metal it was. After the price she paid for that last one, I'd keep an eye out for rubies from Mars if she asked.' A future for Susan as a dark witch in the Potterverse. The best kind of crossover, that elucidates both sources, with an ambiguous Aslan & double heart-wrencher of an ending

[Added 23/12/2018; Drama; 6000-20,000; Narnian Chronicles; Characters: Susan Pevensie, Amelia Bones (HP), Edgar Bones (HP), Aslan, Borgin (HP), Alastor Moody (HP); Crossover]

A Dragon's Desire by Miss M

'It was, of course, the same gold treasure you have heard about elsewhere, and it was, of course, a dragon's treasure. But like Eustace many years later, Octesian had no idea what it was. Telmarines are not interested in dragon lore.' Miss M captures the tone of canon beautifully, breathing life into one of Lewis's names

[Added 22/05/2015; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Narnian Chronicles; Characters: Octesian, Aslan]

Further Up and Further In by Hedda62

'Britta's consciousness had hurtled through tunnels of fire, spread like a net of twanging sensory receptors across the stars, exploded in blue-green ecstasy of cinnamon and fireflies, heard symphonies played by gods.' This surprisingly successful fusion with the Vorkosigan series (no canon knowledge required) assumes Betan survey ships that enter wormholes & never reappear end up in Narnia. The interaction of the incomers with Narnian history is fascinating, and Hedda uses a cast of OCs to provide interesting outsider perspectives

[Added 09/01/2014; Drama; 6000-20,000; Narnian Chronicles; Characters: Tumnus, Aslan, Fenris Ulf, Betan OCs & minors (Vorkosigan series); Crossover]

North and South by Flourish

'For Archenland and Narnia [Anvard] was a great fortress, with enough cottages clustering around the curtain wall that it might almost be called a town; but it did not support a community of poets, or musicians, or painters, or sculptors, because in the North nearly every artisan is actually a very ordinary sort of person who pursues their art in their free time. This means that more people get to enjoy Culture, but the overall quality of the Culture produced might seem cut-rate to a Tarkheena.' Flourish does a good job of balancing Lewis's vision with a more-neutral view of Calormen (& f/f relationships) in this possible future for Aravis. I particularly enjoyed the delicate ending

[Added 23/12/2018; Romance/Erotica; 2500-6000; Narnian Chronicles; Characters: Aravis, Lasaraleen, Cor, Aslan, OCs]

Scents on the Wind by Miss M

'Horses' noses are very finely tuned, much sharper than the noses of humans, and Hwin normally registered the smells around her quite without thinking, the same way you and I may look at a bland landscape without remembering much about it afterwards.' A heroine's homecoming isn't always easy. Perfectly in tune with canon, in both style & theme. Lovely!

[Added 11/08/2012; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Narnian Chronicles; Characters: Hwin, Aslan, Bree]

Triptych by redsnake05

'She struggled against the sweet red loam, pulling a heavy dark stone from her chest as she coalesced from the earth of her shaping.' A strange, powerful story of Jadis, Lilith & Aslan that reads like a cross between Narnia and the Old Testament, and raises fascinating questions about free will vs the bonds of love

[Added 11/12/2018; Drama; 2500-6000; Narnian Chronicles; Characters: Jadis, Lilith, Aslan, Cain, OCs]

What Is This, A Joke? by Moriwen

'Susan took out a pamphlet from her jacket pocket, folded it open to a page in the middle, and handed it to Spike. Potential side effects of prolonged contact, it read, in print so small he had to strain to read it. Dizziness, vomiting, ennui, lucid dreaming, existential angst, pregnancy, death.' This fusion with the Buffyverse allows for a more ambiguous presentation of Aslan than usually convinces me. Slow to start but worth a try for its original take on Susan, who appears at the halfway point (Narnia/BtVS/AtS)

[Added 07/08/2014; Drama; 2500-6000; Narnian Chronicles; Characters: Aslan, Susan Pevensie, Spike (BtVS); Crossover]