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

Blake's 7

Cally

Asta Matrika by Andraste

'The trees and the people of Saurian Major are of the same flesh. It is she who is the alien.' An interesting portrait of pre-series Cally

[Added 05/12/2005; Character Piece; <1000; Blake's 7; Characters: Cally, OCs]

The Last Days of Roj Blake by Una McCormack

The President has been deposed, the Administration lies in ruins, but the fighting isn't over yet... A chillingly plausible AU

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Cally, Jenna Stannis, Vila Restal, Avalon]

The Quibell Abduction by Lillian Shepherd (aka EPS)

Far too few B7 stories bother to take the crew off the Liberator, let alone take advantage of fanfiction's unlimited sfx budget to create a decent planet for them to land on or aliens for them to interact with -- so 'The Quibell Abduction' is a welcome break. With its excellent mix of adventure, sf & character interaction, this is a deserved fandom classic. If you like this, then I'd also recommend Lillian's The Haunting of Haderon, another much-reprinted novella that's newly available online

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Cally, Kerr Avon, OCs]


Del Tarrant

A Marketable Commodity by Pat Jacquerie

The story that first got me into slash. Pat has turned an off-the-peg scenario into an outstanding example of what PWP should be, but often isn't: full of snappy dialogue & beautiful details, revealing of character, and, uh, hot…

[Added 16/04/2003; Romance/Erotica; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Del Tarrant, Kerr Avon]

Privilege by Susan Cutter

A powerful and disturbing story that takes one of the most abused fanfic scenarios, rape, and uses it to give a thoughtful exploration of class and privilege under the Terran Federation. 'Privilege' is fleshed out with some great details of Dome life, and features a very plausible and sympathetic voice for the 16-year-old Tarrant

[Added 30/10/2004; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Tarrant, Travis, OCs; Adult]


Ensemble

Fetch by Hafren

Lovely liquid prose which resists being pinned down characterises this alternative view of season 4

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Vila Restal, Soolin, Dayna Mellanby]

Wholesale by Una McCormack

"'Some sort of temporal or spatial anomaly?' I hazarded./Blake frowned. 'Doesn't sound very likely,' he said./'Where I come from,' I replied, 'It happens all the time.'" I realise I'm in danger of recommending every word Una's ever written, but this crossover is a real treasure. As I can attest, it's well worth a try if you know either of the fandoms, but it's an absolute treat for the (rather rare) cognoscenti of both (B7/DS9)

[Added 08/07/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Cally, Kerr Avon, Roj Blake, Vila Restal, Jenna Stannis, Servalan, Orac, Elim Garak (DS9); Crossover]


Jenna Stannis

The Last Days of Roj Blake by Una McCormack

The President has been deposed, the Administration lies in ruins, but the fighting isn't over yet... A chillingly plausible AU

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Cally, Jenna Stannis, Vila Restal, Avalon]

Not Our Kind, Darling by Executrix

An early chapter in the Executrix Avoniad, 'Not Our Kind, Darling' abounds with luscious visual details as it explores class and religious repression in the Terran Domes. Executrix's take on Blake's 7 is by no means the standard fannish one, yet she completely draws the reader into her unique universe

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Jenna Stannis]

Purple Haze by Executrix

Sexual politics meets revolutionary politics in this delicious series of interlinked shorts. This is one of my all-time favourites amongst Executrix's immensely varied and stylish output

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Jenna Stannis, Inga, Hal Mellanby, Kasabi, OCs]


Kerr Avon

Awake and Find No by Ika

A portrait of Servalan at a turning point in her life. Heart-rending and beautifully written, 'Awake and Find No' should come with a warning label -- it interweaves canon and invention so cleverly, so plausibly, that it infects the original episode on rewatching! One of my very favourites among Ika's fiction

[Added 13/01/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Servalan, Kerr Avon, OCs]

Fetch by Hafren

Lovely liquid prose which resists being pinned down characterises this alternative view of season 4

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Vila Restal, Soolin, Dayna Mellanby]

Four Years after the Revolution by Ika

A bittersweet AU in which the destruction of Star One went as planned, and everyone lives happily ever after. An unusual vignette which made me think about the nature of revolution

[Added 21/12/2003; Character Piece; <1000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon]

Gemini Rising by Suzan Lovett

A young rebel clashes with the authorities. This thoughtful story is my favourite among Suzan's B7 fiction

[Added 21/12/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Roj Blake, OC]

In My Hands by Hafren

'All I'd seen him in for ages was that funeral clobber with all the studs, and without it he looked - I was going to say, like he used to in the old days, but that's just it, he didn't.' PGP vignette imbued with the feel of a fairy tale. Bittersweet & memorable, with a perfect Vila voice

[Added 25/08/2013; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Vila Restal, Kerr Avon, Deva, Biblical characters]

Information by Clocketpatch

'The worlds had been named after the colony ships which settled them. Freedom was the first of the three, but after the war its designation changed. Knowledge, with the creation of System, was the clear winner. History was rewritten.' A thoughtful history for the Liberator's makers, with a strong voice for Zen. There's a bonus of the best explanation for the wardrobe room I've yet encountered

[Added 07/08/2014; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Blake's 7; Characters: Zen, Kerr Avon, OCs]

The Last Days of Roj Blake by Una McCormack

The President has been deposed, the Administration lies in ruins, but the fighting isn't over yet... A chillingly plausible AU

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Cally, Jenna Stannis, Vila Restal, Avalon]

The Man I Mean & Cross-Reality by Sheenagh Pugh

Two moving poems from a collection whose theme is the boundary between fiction and reality. [The poems are no longer available on line, but the full 'Fanfic' sequence is published in The Beautiful Lie (Seren)]

[Added 16/04/2003; Poetry; <1000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon]

A Marketable Commodity by Pat Jacquerie

The story that first got me into slash. Pat has turned an off-the-peg scenario into an outstanding example of what PWP should be, but often isn't: full of snappy dialogue & beautiful details, revealing of character, and, uh, hot…

[Added 16/04/2003; Romance/Erotica; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Del Tarrant, Kerr Avon]

Memory is an Encumbrance by Julia Stamford

Mutoids are one of the more interesting properties of the Blake's 7 universe. Julia Stamford's moral fable runs with the titular line of dialogue from the mutoid in 'Duel', presenting thoughts on identity, personality & memory that reach well beyond the B7 setting. This was another of my very favourites from Emma Peel's stand-out zine I, Mutoid

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Roj Blake, Olag Gan, OC]

Morgan by Judith Proctor

A teleport malfunction dumps an amnesiac Avon in 20th Century Wales, where he's met by a suspiciously familiar figure. 'Morgan' blends B7 Plot Devices #5 & #7 with a crossover with a series virtually no-one's seen -- yet the result is genuinely moving, as Avon struggles to adjust to his new life, and Judith resists providing any easy fixes (Crossover with Morgan's Boy, starring Gareth Thomas. Illustrated by Val Westall)

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Morgan; Crossover]

Not Our Kind, Darling by Executrix

An early chapter in the Executrix Avoniad, 'Not Our Kind, Darling' abounds with luscious visual details as it explores class and religious repression in the Terran Domes. Executrix's take on Blake's 7 is by no means the standard fannish one, yet she completely draws the reader into her unique universe

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Jenna Stannis]

A Price to Pay by Julia Stamford

After the events on Gauda Prime, Servalan makes Avon an unusual offer. Well-written verbal sparring and an interesting & original premise combine to make this another of my favourites from Julia Stamford's varied portfolio

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Servalan]

Purple Haze by Executrix

Sexual politics meets revolutionary politics in this delicious series of interlinked shorts. This is one of my all-time favourites amongst Executrix's immensely varied and stylish output

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Jenna Stannis, Inga, Hal Mellanby, Kasabi, OCs]

The Quibell Abduction by Lillian Shepherd (aka EPS)

Far too few B7 stories bother to take the crew off the Liberator, let alone take advantage of fanfiction's unlimited sfx budget to create a decent planet for them to land on or aliens for them to interact with -- so 'The Quibell Abduction' is a welcome break. With its excellent mix of adventure, sf & character interaction, this is a deserved fandom classic. If you like this, then I'd also recommend Lillian's The Haunting of Haderon, another much-reprinted novella that's newly available online

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Cally, Kerr Avon, OCs]


Meta

Between Life and Death by Loulou Harris

An amazing piece of fanfiction, modelled on Calvino's If On A Winter's Night A Traveller, which explores fandom itself as much as the source material

[Added 09/06/2005; Drama; >50,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Meta; Crossover]

Radioheads by Alison Page

Alison's unique brand of meta-Blake's 7 fiction

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Meta]


Minor

Purple Haze by Executrix

Sexual politics meets revolutionary politics in this delicious series of interlinked shorts. This is one of my all-time favourites amongst Executrix's immensely varied and stylish output

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Jenna Stannis, Inga, Hal Mellanby, Kasabi, OCs]

Relations by Penny Dreadful

One of my favourite stories in Emma Peel's excellent zine, I, Mutoid, Relations presents a hypothesis for the origin of mutoids that is as plausible as it is disturbing. There's also a wonderfully detailed picture of Dome life

[Added 21/12/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Minor, OCs]

The Wit and Wisdom of the Dead by Neil Faulkner

A classic of B7 fanwriting, this extremely inventive story bends canon without ever breaking it. It's also one of the few in the fandom to run with the sf behind the series

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Travis, Lurgen, OCs]


Original character

11.50 PM by Emuna

'One point makes all the difference. You get a hundred, and you're an alpha. You get ninety nine, and you're a beta. For ever. No second chances.' A chilling reminder of what Blake's resistance movement means for ordinary Federation citizens

[Added 16/04/2015; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: OCs]

Face in the Crowd by Manna

A Federation Everyman considers Blake's revolutionary movement in this well-written and realistic short

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; <1000; Blake's 7; Characters: OC]

Future Perfect by Ika

'I'm labour pool. This week my job is in Morsa. They're a mining corp with extensive interests in various planets, the names of which I forget as soon as I've copied them out.' Ika has a gift for finding new angles on the B7 universe via believable original characters. A standout piece from the excellent zine Sleer as Folk

[Added 15/12/2004; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, OCs]

Gemini Rising by Suzan Lovett

A young rebel clashes with the authorities. This thoughtful story is my favourite among Suzan's B7 fiction

[Added 21/12/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Roj Blake, OC]

The Killer of Dole Nu Lin by Penny Dreadful

A futuristic fairy story, 'The Killer of Dole Nu Lin' steps beyond the B7 frame to examine identity, consciousness and the nature of humanity. Skilful characterisation, gritty sf, scrupulous attention to canonical detail, moving prose... Penny is an incredibly gifted writer, and this is quite simply one of the best sf stories I've ever read

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Travis, Servalan, OC]

Memory is an Encumbrance by Julia Stamford

Mutoids are one of the more interesting properties of the Blake's 7 universe. Julia Stamford's moral fable runs with the titular line of dialogue from the mutoid in 'Duel', presenting thoughts on identity, personality & memory that reach well beyond the B7 setting. This was another of my very favourites from Emma Peel's stand-out zine I, Mutoid

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Roj Blake, Olag Gan, OC]

The Quibell Abduction by Lillian Shepherd (aka EPS)

Far too few B7 stories bother to take the crew off the Liberator, let alone take advantage of fanfiction's unlimited sfx budget to create a decent planet for them to land on or aliens for them to interact with -- so 'The Quibell Abduction' is a welcome break. With its excellent mix of adventure, sf & character interaction, this is a deserved fandom classic. If you like this, then I'd also recommend Lillian's The Haunting of Haderon, another much-reprinted novella that's newly available online

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Cally, Kerr Avon, OCs]

Relations by Penny Dreadful

One of my favourite stories in Emma Peel's excellent zine, I, Mutoid, Relations presents a hypothesis for the origin of mutoids that is as plausible as it is disturbing. There's also a wonderfully detailed picture of Dome life

[Added 21/12/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Minor, OCs]

The Seven Deadly Virtuals by Penny Dreadful

Written for the Seven Deadly Virtues challenge, Penny has produced a story that could easily be published as original sf, yet still reflects the heart of the show. Original, quirky, funny, memorable

[Added 21/12/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Travis, OCs]


Roj Blake

Church Going by KindKit

'Above ground, fragments of wall lift towards the empty sky where heaven used to be.' An unusual, evocative piece which packs a lot into a very few words

[Added 15/07/2008; Character Piece; <1000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake]

Four Years after the Revolution by Ika

A bittersweet AU in which the destruction of Star One went as planned, and everyone lives happily ever after. An unusual vignette which made me think about the nature of revolution

[Added 21/12/2003; Character Piece; <1000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon]

Future Perfect by Ika

'I'm labour pool. This week my job is in Morsa. They're a mining corp with extensive interests in various planets, the names of which I forget as soon as I've copied them out.' Ika has a gift for finding new angles on the B7 universe via believable original characters. A standout piece from the excellent zine Sleer as Folk

[Added 15/12/2004; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, OCs]

Gemini Rising by Suzan Lovett

A young rebel clashes with the authorities. This thoughtful story is my favourite among Suzan's B7 fiction

[Added 21/12/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Roj Blake, OC]

The Last Days of Roj Blake by Una McCormack

The President has been deposed, the Administration lies in ruins, but the fighting isn't over yet... A chillingly plausible AU

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Cally, Jenna Stannis, Vila Restal, Avalon]

Memory is an Encumbrance by Julia Stamford

Mutoids are one of the more interesting properties of the Blake's 7 universe. Julia Stamford's moral fable runs with the titular line of dialogue from the mutoid in 'Duel', presenting thoughts on identity, personality & memory that reach well beyond the B7 setting. This was another of my very favourites from Emma Peel's stand-out zine I, Mutoid

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Roj Blake, Olag Gan, OC]

Purple Haze by Executrix

Sexual politics meets revolutionary politics in this delicious series of interlinked shorts. This is one of my all-time favourites amongst Executrix's immensely varied and stylish output

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Jenna Stannis, Inga, Hal Mellanby, Kasabi, OCs]

The Seven Deadly Virtuals by Penny Dreadful

Written for the Seven Deadly Virtues challenge, Penny has produced a story that could easily be published as original sf, yet still reflects the heart of the show. Original, quirky, funny, memorable

[Added 21/12/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Travis, OCs]


Servalan

Awake and Find No by Ika

A portrait of Servalan at a turning point in her life. Heart-rending and beautifully written, 'Awake and Find No' should come with a warning label -- it interweaves canon and invention so cleverly, so plausibly, that it infects the original episode on rewatching! One of my very favourites among Ika's fiction

[Added 13/01/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Servalan, Kerr Avon, OCs]

A Price to Pay by Julia Stamford

After the events on Gauda Prime, Servalan makes Avon an unusual offer. Well-written verbal sparring and an interesting & original premise combine to make this another of my favourites from Julia Stamford's varied portfolio

[Added 31/10/2004; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Kerr Avon, Servalan]


Travis

The Killer of Dole Nu Lin by Penny Dreadful

A futuristic fairy story, 'The Killer of Dole Nu Lin' steps beyond the B7 frame to examine identity, consciousness and the nature of humanity. Skilful characterisation, gritty sf, scrupulous attention to canonical detail, moving prose... Penny is an incredibly gifted writer, and this is quite simply one of the best sf stories I've ever read

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Travis, Servalan, OC]

Privilege by Susan Cutter

A powerful and disturbing story that takes one of the most abused fanfic scenarios, rape, and uses it to give a thoughtful exploration of class and privilege under the Terran Federation. 'Privilege' is fleshed out with some great details of Dome life, and features a very plausible and sympathetic voice for the 16-year-old Tarrant

[Added 30/10/2004; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Tarrant, Travis, OCs; Adult]

The Seven Deadly Virtuals by Penny Dreadful

Written for the Seven Deadly Virtues challenge, Penny has produced a story that could easily be published as original sf, yet still reflects the heart of the show. Original, quirky, funny, memorable

[Added 21/12/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Travis, OCs]

The Wit and Wisdom of the Dead by Neil Faulkner

A classic of B7 fanwriting, this extremely inventive story bends canon without ever breaking it. It's also one of the few in the fandom to run with the sf behind the series

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 6000-20,000; Blake's 7; Characters: Travis, Lurgen, OCs]


Miscellaneous

In My Hands by Hafren

'All I'd seen him in for ages was that funeral clobber with all the studs, and without it he looked - I was going to say, like he used to in the old days, but that's just it, he didn't.' PGP vignette imbued with the feel of a fairy tale. Bittersweet & memorable, with a perfect Vila voice

[Added 25/08/2013; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Vila Restal, Kerr Avon, Deva, Biblical characters]

Information by Clocketpatch

'The worlds had been named after the colony ships which settled them. Freedom was the first of the three, but after the war its designation changed. Knowledge, with the creation of System, was the clear winner. History was rewritten.' A thoughtful history for the Liberator's makers, with a strong voice for Zen. There's a bonus of the best explanation for the wardrobe room I've yet encountered

[Added 07/08/2014; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Blake's 7; Characters: Zen, Kerr Avon, OCs]

The Last Days of Roj Blake by Una McCormack

The President has been deposed, the Administration lies in ruins, but the fighting isn't over yet... A chillingly plausible AU

[Added 16/04/2003; Drama; 2500-6000; Blake's 7; Characters: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Cally, Jenna Stannis, Vila Restal, Avalon]