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

Diana Wynne Jones

Chrestomanci series | Dalemark Quartet | Dogsbody | Eight Days of Luke | Howl's Moving Castle | Power of Three

Chrestomanci series

A Snowflake and a Holly Crown by Rosie Rues

'Cat Chant was easy, all curves and squiggles, and he could knot his seal into it like tangled vines. Chrestomanci-in-waiting, however, felt like barbed wire, and needed to be sealed with lightning and panache.' Marianne has to rescue Cat in a satisfying adventure that would slot easily into canon, despite the fairy tale borrowings. There's plenty of magic, sympathetic villains, & just enough twists to keep things interesting (crossover with 'The Snow Queen')

[Added 28/10/2014; Drama; 6000-20,000; Diana Wynne Jones – Chrestomanci; Crossover]

The Young Chants by Ryfkah

'He kept thinking of all the time he had spent as a child worrying over whether he would recognize his father if he happened to meet him in the park. True, Julia was not really old enough to recognize most anybody yet, let alone go walking in the park; still, it seemed better to start as one meant to go on.' The challenges of combining Chrestomanci-ing with parenthood. 'The Young Chants' has pitch-perfect characterisations for the whole family, and reads just like a missing chunk of canon. Charming

[Added 04/10/2013; Drama; 6000-20,000; Diana Wynne Jones – Chrestomanci]

Dalemark Quartet

love like mountains by Betony

'I know how our story is meant to end, with the lad who met the fair maiden as a child winning her hand at last, despite insurmountable obstacles. I have loved her as deep as mountains' roots go into the ground, as unchanging as their course.' A fascinating take on the Manaliabrid/Adon tale, which does a good job of fleshing out the characters

[Added 26/05/2015; Romance/Erotica; 2500-6000; Diana Wynne Jones – Dalemark]

The Paths of the Undying by rosemaryandrue

'When she stopped to catch her breath, the old lady laid a hand on her arm, eyes bright with merriment, and whispered, "Love him and laugh with him and it won't matter how old he is."' A delicate take on Maewen's wait for Mitt, with a strong feel of the original

[Added 02/01/2009; Drama; 1000-2500; Diana Wynne Jones – Dalemark]

that same singing island voice by Betony

'Libby’s "scarlet locks" gleam in the sun, her "peridot eyes" flash with anger at least once a chapter; Ammet is suitably blond, mysterious, and elusive, and six hundred pages later, the two are finally wed. A wafer-thin plot to fuel such devotion from fans.' A diverse set of origin stories for Libby Beer: powerful & humorous by turns

[Added 28/10/2014; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Diana Wynne Jones – Dalemark]

Dogsbody

The Long Dance by Temaris

'When the first dog died, because dogs burn faster than humans, he brought a pup at midwinter, a scant three months old, full blooded, and said, "There and the return also," and she bowed her head stiffly, burning with the need to ride.' Wonderful mythic envisioning of Katherine's life, with a final line that's just perfect

[Added 10/11/2008; Drama; <1000; Diana Wynne Jones – Dogsbody]

Eight Days of Luke

Will End in Fire by Ghost Lingering

'It was the laughter in the wind and the sound of a boy's pranking and it tasted like the burnt out match at the end of summer.' A bittersweet treasure that fits with the original yet dares to move beyond it. Strongly recommended

[Added 13/01/2005; Drama; 2500-6000; Diana Wynne Jones – Eight Days of Luke]

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl and Calcifer by JM Torres

'...Even though his heart was three feet away from his chest, cradled with Calcifer in his palm, its valves still opened on his veins, and his blood still flowed through its chambers.' An insightful short that highlights the differences between our world & Ingary. Sweet but not saccharine

[Added 07/12/2011; Character Piece; <1000; Diana Wynne Jones – Howl's Moving Castle]

starfall by Betony

'The star spluttered with rage, but then quieted, just as Lily was about to drop it and run. "I suppose," it said silkily, "that you can't help it. Quite all right. It's not your fault that you're not clever enough."' An interesting origin story for the Witch of the Waste that weaves together many threads from the source, and succeeds, in the end, in making her sympathetic

[Added 11/08/2015; Character Piece; 1000-2500; Diana Wynne Jones – Howl's Moving Castle]

Power of Three

The Lay of Homecoming by Rosie Rues

'"The Moor is changing again," he said, "as the Moon changes, and I am not sure you and I are moving with it, old friend. Not as fast as our children, at least."' Adorable coda to the novel, in which the children begin to grow up. Delicate characterisations all round, and very much in the spirit of the original

[Added 27/05/2012; Romance/Erotica; 2500-6000; Diana Wynne Jones – Power of Three]

The Wooing of Adara by Thimblerig

'She was wondering aloud whether she'd catch any rabbits the next time she went on the Hunt (because they made the best gloves) when Adara, her brows still furrowed, asked Selni why she wasn't a Hunter.' This enjoyable backstory-cum-romance captures Adara's character, and Thimblerig supplies flashes of sly humour plus plenty of precise details to expand on DWJ's world

[Added 28/10/2014; Character Piece; 2500-6000; Diana Wynne Jones – Power of Three]