Seeking New Landscapes by kate lear

[fitofpique.livejournal.com]

Title: Seeking New Landscapes
Author: kate_lear
Pairing: Holmes/Watson
Length: ~17,400 words
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: None
Verse: Canon

Author's summary: Holmes makes a discovery about Watson and then has to deal with it while investigating a suspicious murder. Set around The Adventure of Thor Bridge.

Reccer's comments: I know many of you have read and adored kate_lear's Sherlock fic, which is absolutely delightful, but I would like to recommend her canon-based stories, which are without exception cleverly conceived, emotionally intense, and just … searingly hot. I found it impossible to pick a favourite, but I decided on Seeking New Landscapes because the Holmes' POV is amazing (wry, humorous, and deeply felt), the story is flawlessly nestled into the canon, and the ending is so gorgeous I am beside myself just thinking about it.

Secondary Exposure by thesardine

[fitofpique.livejournal.com]

Title: Secondary Exposure
Author: thesardine
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: ~19,000
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence, disturbing themes
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: "If you were dying, if you were murdered, in the very last seconds, what would you say?"
"Please God, let me live."
"Use your imagination."
"I don't have to."

After twenty years, the killer who abducted John as a child has resurfaced.

Reccer's comments: thesardine's writing is minimal and understated, but it nevertheless packs a hell of a punch. This story is extremely intense and stressful to read – in part because of the subject matter but also because of the way it explores Sherlock's emotional limitations and how they prevent from giving John support when he most needs it. That said, though it is emotionally wrenching, it's not at all hopeless. And the mystery plot is one of the best I've read in the fandom.