Fic Rec: Bright Heart

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Title: Bright Heart
Author: ancientreader
Pairing: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Length: 5,800 words
Rating: E
Warnings: mentions of bestiality in the context of false rumors
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary: At the center of the Labyrinth lives a monster — or so it’s said.

Reccer's comments: This fic was one of my favorites both of Holmestice and of 2015 as a whole. Ancientreader's prose is always extraordinarily well-crafted, and I was particularly impressed in this story with the realistic details of the Labyrinth and the way that the general outlines of an ancient culture shaped the characters in this setting without confining them. Both Sherlock and John are extraordinarily courageous, and the beginning of their love story is a tender victory in the midst of tyranny. I instantly adored these versions of the characters, and the style of this revisionist myth manages to be both lyrical and hard-hitting.

I had always intended to rec Bright Heart this month, but on my way home yesterday I was sad to hear of David Bowie's passing. I am of the generation that grew up with the film Labyrinth, and so today seemed the right day to celebrate mysterious, beautiful geniuses who linger in the heart of a maze.