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

ST: 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]

A Daughter of the Fifth House by Beatrice Otter

'She wouldn't even be able to get a job in a shop, because who would want to buy from someone who couldn't look into your mind, see exactly what you wanted, and take you to it?' Deanna viewed as disabled, with some intriguing titbits about how Betazoid culture might differ from that of non-telepaths

[Added 28/10/2017; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]

Everybody Else's Girl by Mosca

'Will's mind was so quiet. He was so simple. An inside-out person, all of his emotions prickling from his skin. When I touched him, they stuck in my hand like sea urchin spines.' An unusual character study that remembers there's more to Deanna than a romantic partner

[Added 18/10/2011; Romance/Erotica; 1000-2500; Star Trek: The Next Generation]

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]

Hope of Thee (the Zombie Remix) by Beatrice Otter

'''Oh, don’t look at me like that, Lwaxana, I know you don’t like to talk about her, but she’s been dead over twenty years!"' Wonderfully creepy take on the S7 episode 'Dark Page'. One of the few stories to explore Betazoids as an alien race

[Added 18/10/2011; Drama; 1000-2500; 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]

Laid Bare by sixbeforelunch

'A Vulcan patient with an emotional disorder was always a challenge. The problem, aside from the risk that their condition would be exacerbated by shame, was that all of the first line treatments for mood disorders--cognitive behavioral therapies, awareness and mindfulness, biofeedback-guided meditation--were things that Vulcans practiced from childhood.' A novella-length medical casefic that feels just like a lost Deanna-centric episode. As ever, Sixbeforelunch's Vulcan worldbuilding is fascinating, and her OCs soon come to feel like previously unencountered crew members. The ensemble cast delineates Deanna's relationships with most of the crew but there's a particular joy to seeing her work with Beverley, a relationship ignored by most fanfiction

[Added 10/12/2018; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]

Let Me Entertain You by Alara J Rogers

'I have discovered that achieving your greatest lifelong dream is not necessarily all it's cracked up to be.' Insightful character study that explores Data's real strengths in an AU where he's made human. Part of the Judgement Day series

[Added 18/10/2011; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: The Next Generation]

Metadata by Winged Mammal

'Data was pleased -- it had been 439 days since the installation of the emotion chip, but he was still not completely confident in his ability to determine the appropriateness of humor at the expense of someone else.' Post-chip Data is a common subject for TNG fiction, but this piece stands out for its precise ensemble characterisation

[Added 18/10/2011; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]

Naming of Parts (the Strange Charm Remix) by Naraht

'Snow's starkness bore some similarities to the desert sands of Vulcan. It was only upon close inspection that it resolved itself into the exotic form of water ice, biting and changeable.' A beautifully characterised Vulcan OC struggles with human culture in this crossover with ST:XI. Remix of Seekingferret's Rhapsody in Red, which gives Geordi's perspective

[Added 18/10/2011; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: The Next Generation]

Quantum Entanglement by Killer Quean

'But being a child with Ro, even for just a day, had shown her something else: sometimes, despite her insistence to the contrary, she likes to remember the past. She holds onto the memory of small pleasures she was able to eke out of nothing.' An unusual tripartite story that uses repetition to explore Guinan's alien perception of the universe. The final piece is particularly strong

[Added 07/05/2015; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Star Trek: The Next Generation]

The Queen of Air and Darkness by Raspberryhunter

'The woman said, gesturing at the tiny specks below, "Are they not beautiful? Is the complexity of this life not wonderful?"' Pieces that depict Deanna as alien are all too rare, and here Raspberryhunter weaves in strands of her character most writers forget. The fascinating speculation about Guinan is a bonus

[Added 18/01/2014; Character Piece; 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]

The Things that Juliana Didn't Say by Pensnest

'Of course, if he made this android look just like a human being, then people might not notice how clever he has been.' An interesting account of Data's origins, which successfully explains some of the peculiar features of canon

[Added 18/10/2011; Drama; 6000-20,000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]

Vacation by Pensnest

'He had attended nine concerts, seven theatre matinÉes, a dynamo racing event, a game of football, and a Tudor-style banquet of dubious authenticity, and had even lain in the sun for five minutes and seventeen seconds while he read twenty-four escapist novels.' It's easy to poke fun at Data's naiveté, but Pensnest succeeds in pinning down the android's essential naturees, a dynamo racing event, a game of football, and a Tudor-style banquet of dubious authenticity, and had even lain in the sun for five minutes and seventeen seconds while he read twenty-four escapist novels.' It's easy to poke fun at Data's naivetÉ, but Pensnest succeeds in pinning down the android's essential nature

[Added 18/10/2011; Humour; 2500-6000; Star Trek: The Next Generation]