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

Classical mythology

Agave in Illyria by Selden

'And I will hold my tongue which as we know is hardest for a woman, / Jackal and hide, laughing in doorways if you'll let them, behind the rows of little pots / In various shades of red.' The relationship between Agave & Semele, mixing ancient & modern, mad & sly, prose & poetry, and always slippery & disturbing

[Added 12/08/2015; Drama; 2500-6000; Classical mythology; Adult]

Bakcheios by Emilyenrose

'That kind of ghoulish nonsense is exactly the kind of thing guaranteed to please a boy of a certain age, and it certainly stuck with me. I had nightmares for months of being chased through the night by a disfigured woman-shape with gold-plated bone fingers.' Gorgeous retelling of The Bacchae, which renders the tragedy more profound by making Pentheus thoroughly human

[Added 25/11/2011; Drama; 6000-20,000; Classical mythology]

Dark and Bright by Morbane

'For generations - so long that the reasons behind it were scarcely discussed - a hood had been hung about the head of the statue, to hide the lady's face from the sun. It might be sailcloth or leather, woven rushes or fine silk, but as soon as one hood wore away, the people of the city made another, and replaced it in darkness.' A haunting take on the tale of Eros & Psyche, strange & sensuous

[Added 21/05/2015; Romance/Erotica; 2500-6000; Classical mythology]

Easy the Descent by Zdenka

'Bones are so heavy. She had forgotten. They seem to drag her down to the earth.' A thought-provoking vignette, which gives Eurydice agency and draws parallels with Persephone's fate (Orpheus & Eurydice)

[Added 09/08/2014; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Classical mythology]

My Father's House by Selden

'I knew what I was then, before I had a stone or arch or shady room, before the bull-boy ran down through me crying for his mother. I curled around my brother's fingertip, around my father's mind. I knew I was a place for loss, for keeping secrets, for forgetting, folding up and swallowing down.' A suitably dark & twisty story for the sentient Labyrinth. Original & creepy, with an ending that caught me by surprise

[Added 19/10/2017; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Classical mythology]

Patron of the Guard by Fresne

'While on patrol, they came upon Eualia, a down on her luck Heteara, who'd fallen a few ranks, and now liked to dip her sandals in red paint and mark the stones with the words, "Follow me," which at least meant she was looking for clientele who could read.' Enjoyable noirish casefic novelette, with an endearing Vimes-like OC. It's a bit uneven – I skipped all the dream sex on reread – but worth a try

[Added 31/10/2017; Drama; 6000-20,000; Classical mythology]

Persephone Lied by Spuffyduds

'Do you know what swineherds talk about? / Swine.' An amusing take on the Persephone myth. Helen Saito's expressive reading really brings out Persephone's emotions and the poem's humour

[Added 29/08/2013; Poetry; <1000; Classical mythology]

Persephone: Redux by Nightengale

'Do not tell me that you've been off gallivanting again with that Hades figure, Persephone, do not tell it me!' Neat revisioning of the Persephone story

[Added 03/01/2007; Romance/Erotica; 1000-2500; Classical mythology]

Small Step For Man by Toft

'She has a different name, here, but she is still the same.' Artemis & Apollo through the ages. A reflection on the pitfalls of immortality, anchored in sharp details

[Added 07/08/2009; Drama; 2500-6000; Classical mythology; Adult]