221B Recs

Title: A Study in Crimson: Press Gang, with the missing scene sequel Reparation
Author: gardnerhill
Pairing: Gen
Length: 28,000 words; the missing scene sequel is 8,000 words
Rating: T
Warnings: none
Verse: Author lists it as Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle & Related fandoms; it is an historical AU, not specific to any 'verse
Author's summary:It's Sherlock Holmes and pirates. Pretty much.

Reccer's comments: This is the Pirate AU to end all Pirate AUs, in my opinion: intelligent, entrancing, at times harrowing, and uniquely romantic. The author effortlessly immerses us into a rich historical adventure. The language captures an 18th century elegance and a convincing nautical slang, the details of ship-board life feel authentic, Watson's strength shines through as surgeon, mentor, fugitive and most importantly as a confidante to his complicated captain. We feel the terror of Moriarty with the authority of the Royal Navy behind him, and the brilliant charisma of Sherlock as first privateer and then full pirate, fiercely defending his crew and especially his stormy petrel of a fugitive surgeon.

I love this story for mixing realism with high melodrama, for the camaraderie of the Baker crew, for noble sacrifices that are repaid in kind, and for the respect and love that grows between Holmes and Watson. Their feelings for one another are complex and not fully defined, and while keeping their relationship physically platonic the narrative also hints at the presence of (possibly one-sided, possibly reciprocal) romantic love or romantic friendship. They find ways to save each other, but also to put each other at greater risk, and they navigate side by side through shared dangers. At the same time their relationship is shaped by the hierarchy and formality of Watson's subordinate position onboard the ship that is their world.

Overall, this is one of my favorite historical AUs in the fandom, and I don't get the impression that it has been very widely read.

Readers may want to be aware that these stories include torture and also scenes of shipboard surgery, though they keep a PG-13 rating.

(Note about the series: "A Study in Crimson" is, in fact, a longer series than the two main stories I have linked to in this rec. If you enjoy these, you may want to read some of the shorter ficlets and vignettes set in the same 'verse. The author is also slowly working on a sequel ("Part 2: Rache"); but please be aware that it is a WIP last updated almost a year ago, and also it is darker and has the main characters behaving more violently. I personally find these earlier entries in the series satisfying in themselves, and I don't quite have the stomach to continue on through the darker material, but of course different readers will have different tastes! All of the author's works are well-written and convincing. I have rec'd these two stories in the series because they provide the main narrative, they are complete, and they hold a special place in my heart.)