221B Recs

Title: The Bang and the Clatter
Author: earlgreytea68
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 137048 words
Rating: Mature
Warnings: None
Verse: Sherlock BBC

Author's summary: Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU.

Reccer's comments: Right off the bat (pun not intended) I want to point out that you don't need to know anything about baseball, or even have an interest in it, for you to be swept away by this fic. The story, at its heart and soul, is all about the progression of the relationship between Sherlock and John, which is done at a very satisfying and realistic pace. Having said that, if you are a baseball fan like me, you will find that aspect of the story satisfying as well.

The first chapter (prologue, really) is an introduction to the rules and terms of the sport, but you can easily skip past that to the story proper without missing anything of importance. This is one of my favourite authors, and I was waiting patiently (?) for it to be completed before I started it. When I did, I devoured it within a very short span of time. I would easily put it within my top 10 Sherlock fics.

Family dynamics play a major role in this story as well, for both Sherlock and John. The author even gives Harry and Clara a family of their own, and she does a beautiful job of portraying their relationship in a way that doesn't place all the blame for their problems on just one person. Even the unsympathetic portrayal of Sherlock's family isn't done just for the sake of adding unnecessary conflict, but serves the purpose of explaining why Sherlock acts the way he does in his interactions with other people.

Almost everyone from canon appears in this, and the author does a fantastic job of putting them exactly where they would fit the best in this universe. Greg Lestrade is the team's manager, Mrs Hudson is the team's owner (and also, incidently, the owner of the house that contains Sherlock's apartment), Molly is the team doctor... even Donovan and Anderson make appearances. Moriarty is also here, of course... who is ultimately revealed to be a much more sinister figure than just a rival pitcher who is the bane of Sherlock's existence.

Set aside a few hours for this epic romance.... I guarantee it will be well worth your time.



( excerpt )