auroracloud: a foreign planet setting, with a large moon on the sky, with the text "...and step into a different world" (science fiction)
Aurora ([personal profile] auroracloud) wrote2019-12-29 07:34 pm

Yuletide recs 1: science-fiction books, part one

I've read enough Yuletide fics, at least, to start making recs. I'm going to try to do a few rec posts, grouped by the type of source material. I've been reading the most in various science fiction books fandoms so far, so I'm starting with some of those. I haven't yet read all of the fic in all these fandoms, but at least enough to have a nice collection of recs. There's so much incredibly good fic in the archive for these!

There may be spoilers in summaries and tags, not to mention the fics themselves, so best not click on anything where you haven't read all of canon (hint: for Machineries of Empire this includes Glass Cannon).



Machineries of Empire - Yoon Ha Lee

There are many fics in the Machineries of Empire fandom for this Yuletide and I haven't read all of them yet, but I've got two more besides my gift fic that I want to rec already. This first one is a fabulous post-Glass Cannon adventure for Cheris and Jedao, exploring their weird partnership and voidmoth strangeness and consequences of various canon events. Also excellently snarky 1491625 (one day I'll learn its name without copy-pasting it. Maybe). My relationship to this fandom is many things, but especially that I'd happily read endless amounts of Cheris & Jedao gen adventures, and this is definitely a case where the fandom delivers.

the desert repenting (1809 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Ajewen Cheris & Garach Jedao Shkan
Characters: Ajewen Cheris, Garach Jedao Shkan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon
Summary: Cheris and Jedao look for a moth, and find some answers. [Post-Glass Cannon]


And my next rec is adorable AU fluff - AU from near the end of Glass Cannon. For the maximum number of Jedaos, you see. It's as adorable as things can be in this fandom.

Special Delivery (1548 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Jedao Two (Machineries of Empire), Jedao the Calico Cat (Machineries of Empire), Shuos Nija, Shuos Jedao, Ajewen Cheris
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff
Summary: Jedao is watching over Jedao Two and Cheris when someone arrives with an unexpected gift. AU post-"Glass Cannon."

Thanks to hamletta, Sonya Taaffe, and UrsulaKohl for the beta.








Imperial Radch - Ann Leckie (2 fics)

The Imperial Radch series had two other works besides mine, and I loved them both. This one has prime Zeiat content and Sphene being its enjoyable self (take that how you will) and Queter not knowing how to play counters (in Zeiat's opinion).

Worthy of Attention (2563 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gem of Sphene & Zeiat (Imperial Radch)
Characters: Gem of Sphene (Imperial Radch), Zeiat (Imperial Radch), Queter (Imperial Radch)
Summary:

Sphene has a new captain. Ambassador Zeiat isn't sure what to think about that.





And this next fic involves a fix-it that nevertheless allows you to keep all the character development and trilogy's worth of story coming from the event being fixed, in a really interesting way that works for these books. And the Breq voice is excellent.

high above the trees (1941 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Awn Elming & Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen | Breq
Characters: Justice of Toren One Esk Nineteen | Breq, Awn Elming
Additional Tags: Awn Lives
Summary:

An unexpected embassy.








A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine

This is a fabulous piece with all sorts of Teixcalaanli and Lsel Station documents, pieces of media etc. I love this kind of fanworks so much, and this fandom is fabulous for them, because it's so heavy on culture, history, the written word and arts. I love this piece so much, from advertisement copy to poetry to Teixcalaanli glyphs and their meanings.

History Talking to Itself (2194 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Mahit Dzmare/Three Seagrass, Yskandr Aghavn/Nineteen Adze/Emperor Six Direction, Past Mahit Dzmare/OFC
Characters: Mahit Dzmare, Three Seagrass, Twelve Azalea, Yskandr Aghavn, Nineteen Adze, Original Teixcalaanli Characters, Original Stationer Characters
Additional Tags: fake media, Epistolary, Fake Documents, Canonical Character Death, Worldbuilding, Poetry, Political Verse, Embedded Images (with descriptions)
Summary:

Twelve excerpts from Teixcalaan and from Lsel Station.





And here's a gorgeous piece of Mahit/Nineteen Adze canon divergence, showcasing just how dangerous and alluring and hot Nineteen Adze is, and tying it all to Teixcalaan and Empire and all that complicated stuff the book deals with so well.

your mouth and its flowers (2867 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: A Memory Called Empire - Arkady Martine
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nineteen Adze/Mahit Dzmare
Characters: Nineteen Adze, Mahit Dzmare
Additional Tags: Consent Issues, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary: After the attempt on her life, Mahit reaches an arrangement with Nineteen Adze.






This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

A lovely short scene taking place during canon events, with Blue's point of view to the time when she was writing some of her letters to Red. Gorgeous prose, lovely extension of canon.

like seeds among green (1214 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Blue/Red (This is How You Lose the Time War)
Characters: Blue (This is How You Lose the Time War), Red (This is How You Lose the Time War)
Additional Tags: Pre-Slash, Character Study, Missing Scene
Summary: On the banks of the Outaouais River, Blue has plenty of time to think.





Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells

I still need to read the longer Murderbot fics, but I loved this little Yuletide Madness piece, AU after All Systems Red.


Rest in the Grass (562 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Murderbot (Murderbot Diaries)
Additional Tags: AU Post All Systems Red
Summary:
It was a hard decision, going home with Dr. Mensah after she bought my contract.

Murderbot figures out what comes next.





ETA: Also, in this previous post I shared my excellent gift fics, for the Imperial Radch and Machineries of Empire series! If you're into those fandoms, remember to check them out as well if you didn't already.
st_aurafina: Rainbow DNA (Default)

[personal profile] st_aurafina 2019-12-30 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
We're spoiled for excellent Radch fics this year, it's lovely!