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

Hamlet

Before the End of All Things by CJ Marlowe

'"You're mad," says Ophelia, sipping her latte and looking at Hamlet overtop four-hundred-dollar sunglasses, a gift from a man she does not love.' A particularly clever take on the eternal tragedy -- to say more would spoil the premise

[Added 11/11/2008; Drama; 1000-2500; Hamlet]

Chiaroscuro by Acrossthefloors

'When Hamlet comes back to Elsinore, his eyes glitter and gleam and Ophelia can all too easily imagine that if he would only cast a glance toward her, it would leave her bleeding.' The Lovecraftian fusion is such a powerful window into the play, and Acrossthefloors skilfully builds the creepiness to the inevitable end

[Added 28/05/2012; Drama; 2500-6000; Hamlet; Crossover; Adult]

Dagon's Bargain, [unlocked] by Gehayi

'It has a certain stark beauty—even now, I can see that—but it is no spun-sugar castle from the dreams of maidens and southern poets. It is also strangely situated, hunched over a minor seaport and far from any city of military or strategic value. Yet everything about it, even the shape of the walls and the placement of the towers, says that it was built and fortified for wars beyond imagining.' Hamlet lends itself to Lovecraftian horror. This retelling, seen through the eyes of a Claudius who might be innocent after all, is an enthralling example

[Added 08/08/2015; Drama; 6000-20,000; Hamlet; Crossover]

Fine Revolution by Gileonnen

'He'd blinked once when he'd woken and then screamed, screamed all three point eight minutes that he survived rehabilitation.' A strange dark sf version of Hamlet's eternal tragedy. Haunting

[Added 15/02/2011; Drama; <1000; Hamlet]

Storyteller by Likeadeuce

'"The rest is silence," Hamlet said as the breath slipped out of him. But since his bloodied head fell back in your lap, your life has been a continual torrent of words.' Thoughtful short on the nature of fiction and the role of the author

[Added 29/05/2012; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Hamlet]

Testament by Shayheyred

'All he'd like is the time to tell the new king Hamlet's story. An afternoon will do. Two hours, or even one. A quarter hour might suffice.' A powerful & melancholy take on the theme that history is written by the victors

[Added 28/01/2011; Drama; 1000-2500; Hamlet]