Sometimes I read a piece of fiction with the intent of showing off my ubercritiquing skills and it's so wonderful that I can't find one typo or one single word that I would change. I can't make any suggestions at all. Instead, I end up babbling to the writer about how wonderful she is and how I'm green with envy that she is so damn talented. Such was the case with this story. It's a trippy, experimental piece that I would ruin for you if I explained here. I enjoyed how there were four voices in the story and each had its own tone and feel, which is not easy. If I were to get into what I thought of this story, I'd have to use expletives like "so fucking good." So rather than swearing at you, I will point you in that direction. Go read it. Go read it. Go read it. -Jane

I fawned over this story so much in the CABS Awards 2000 that further gushing would be extraneous and you'll start thinking that I took bribes or something. Regardless of what you think of boy bands, or RPS, this is a must read.

I barely know what Jonathan Creek is, but this story was wonderfully erotic, really interesting and pleasantly well written. -Jane

I found this one from Torch's rec page. It's Holmes and Watson, which is so novel that it deserves to be here. Well written and a very good job with the characterization. Absurdly splendid. -Jane

There really should be more Gattaca slash. It should have its own fandom. The subtext is so strong in that movie, I can't believe it's not the first thing that came into my mind. (It wasn't. It was an "untapped slash source" submitted by Kim.) I want Gattaca slash so badly that any Gattaca story is automatically going to go here. I'll start with Katherine's, possibly the only story in existence. It's fairly simple as far as stories go. By her own admission it's a stream of consciousness piece. But the heartache was good. So let's go, boys and girls. I'll archive it if I have to. I'll spearhead the damn fandom. You just have to write it. Write it! - Jane

An amazing Scully story, with beautiful suspense and great description. My favorite sentence: When the bullet struck there was an explosion of blood and liquid and then nothing, no body left for us to find. - Jane

A story about Mike Kellerman and Meldrick Lewis. HLOTS is always interesting because the characters have hardened themselves to the world. I've been looking for one to put here. I think I liked this story because I was sort of depressed myself when I read it. Who was the network moron that took this show off the air? - Jane

Yes, here's another Master and Apprentice story, but it's hard to stay away from that archive. It's going to sound like I'm kissing ass, but I've found Master and Apprentice fic to be a cut above the rest. This is crossover as it was meant to be. I have rarely gotten to read crossover that was so interesting and so justified. Some Jedi apprentices have been cloned, including Obi-Wan, which gives you...*drumroll*...Curt Wild! Curt training to be a Jedi is the stuff satires are made of, but there's more to it than that. Augusta managed to capture the voice of Curt Wild in a way few have been able to. For every humorous moment ("Cool...I wonder where I could get a sword like that"), there's a heartbreaking one, including when Curt yells at Qui-Gon "Where were you when I was 13?" It's funny, it's sad and it's just damn good. My favorite scene is the one where Curt ventures to the dark side to exact revenge on his ex-lover, Brian Slade. It must have taken forever to write this, but lucky for us she did. -Jane

This story is fan fiction excellence. Han Solo has returned to his life as a smuggler and Luke catches up with him to mend a few fences. Memories come rushing back and Cara takes us through it with heart-wrenching realism. There are brilliant phrases like "silence turned out its own breed of questions" and there's not a misplaced comma to be found. Han's teasing lines turned me on and he wasn't even talking to me. I loved it when he said "Then I'll make you feel what you're doing to me." Great stuff. -Jane

This one deserves a mention too. Actually, I didn't read one that didn't grab me and hold me there. "But his thoughts turned, drawn against his conscious choice, and time started to run backwards..." Her stories of love lost take you to the verge of tears and back again, but they can't simply be read quickly while you're surfing. I recommend printing it out and finding some solitude to really get the drift of the story. Read it, read it, read it. -Jane

Melvira took a scene from the movie and drew out the thoughts, feelings and anxieties of the two principal characters without making it long-winded or boring. This story is about sex and lust in its most primitive, animalistic form, but it gets there without shoving it down your throat. -Jane

I don't know much about Oz, but I know it's about life in prison. That's all you need to know with this story. It's a perfect piece of fic about finding a bit of freedom in a maximum security prison. It takes a simple act (a shower) and draws it out with such exquisite detail that we can imagine we're there, behind the thick concrete walls, getting peace anywhere we can. -Jane

They all hate us now, but what the hell. This was a great angsty story of Obi-Wan losing his eyesight but realizing the love of his master. I would have exchanged the bold parts for italics, but that's just a preferrence. I was leaning forward in my seat the entire time, feeling bad for the kid. A great twist and a great idea for a story. -Jane