Fic Rec: The Only Emperor

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Title: The Only Emperor
Author: coloredink
Pairing: gen; Sherlock Holmes, John Watson
Length: 12,000 words
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: It never occurred to Sherlock Holmes that an ice cream shop might attract children.

Reccer's comments: There must be hundreds of 'alternate profession' stories out there for Sherlock and John, but this one is special to me. I love coloredink's writing, and this story consistently charms my socks off.

Sherlock is determined to revolutionize the field of ice cream, largely by creating the strangest flavours imaginable and making them work, and John takes charge of paying the bills and keeping a firm separation between Sherlock and the customers. In some respects this is a fairly faithful alternate version of series 1, and I love the creative way the author translates the dramatic conflicts into the world of ice cream. Sherlock makes quite a wonderful Willy Wonka-esque figure, so deadpan and so bizarrely committed to creating something new in the world of food. I love the easy camaraderie between Sherlock and John, the charming whirlwind of their shop where most of the series regulars eventually pass through, and the imaginative appearance of The Blind Banker and other motifs from the earliest days of the show. Quietly funny, off-beat and warm, it's a strange and lovely (and tasty!) AU.