Friday, November 10th, 2006
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9:37 pm - Review: "The Puppet Master," by Tryfanstone
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Title: The Puppet Master (note: link takes you to warning page; click through to story list)
Author: ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif) tryfanstone
Rating: NC 17
Pairings Harry/Snape/Voldemort
Warnings: I'm not sure how to categorize this story, in the sense of warnings. It's both consensual and not: the sexual ethics here are intricate and provocative.
Summary: "Moments after the last battle, a man clings to his own soul."
This short but very effective story is simultaneously chilling, hopeful, and powerfully erotic. It's got rich detail and satin-smooth prose. And the writer's control over the story POV is simply masterful. You'll want to (and need to) read this a second time, to see all the shadings she's achieved, in terms of conveying delicate implications and connotations, and in foreshadowing the story's ending. Very few writers could achieve this level of control over POV, I think.
This story does a marvelous job of showing us how Voldemort's mind truly works, avoiding all the shallow, cliche "evil monster of non con" fanon renditions. Rather, it shows how Voldemort's evil flows from his grasping, scrabbling attempts to cling first to life and flesh, and then to power. Because that is what is driving him: an absolute rejection of death, bone-deep fear of death. This story brings that part of him to life, and actually made me pity him, because this story shows that it is a terrible thing to live inside a mind like Voldemort's. And it delivers all that, along with one of the most poetic and graphic descriptions of sex that I have ever read. And a hopeful ending.
Don't miss this. Even if Voldemort isn't usually your cuppa.
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| Thursday, November 9th, 2006
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8:30 pm - Review: "The World As It Is," by Dementor Delta
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Title: The World As It Is
Author: dementordelta
Rating: NC 17
Warnings: none
Summary: Ten years after the war and Harry Potter is doing just fine. Really.
This is a feel-good story, but an intelligently done one. Harry is a florist, and Snape (who has been blinded during the war) wanders into his shop one day, looking for some rare plants. This story is full of clever or amusing details, and the build between the two of them is deeply satisfying. The emotions here are lovely, and the ways they engage with each other are persuasive and (in the end) almost tender. And the sex is anything but cliche.
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8:29 pm - Review: "Old Bugger's Disease," By June Diamanti
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Title:Old Bugger's Disease
Author: junediamanti
Rating PG 13
Warnings: Character death.
Summary: Harry and Severus’ partnership is of many years standing. All good things come to an end.
Yes, character death. And yet, that is the whole point of the story. The process of dying is the complex and very adult subject that this story explores, slowly and carefully. This is not about a death tossed off in the middle or at the end of a story, to add dramatic weight to an otherwise shallow story. This is a meditation on how it is to grow old inside a partnership, and how two people process the end of life.
June Diamanti's strength here is that she resolutely refuses to sentimentalize old age and death. This is as realistic and clear-eyed as one can imagine. And yet, not grim or cheerless. Both men are drawn perfectly, and the story's depiction of how they both come to terms with death is note-perfect. This is not a story that many people could have written, because Snape here (like June herself, clearly) knows that death comes to us all. He doesn't fear it; he knows that there are worse things than death. The tragedy here doesn't lie in the characters' resistance against death, or fear of it; neither emotion is present. Rather, the heartbreak comes in how completely human both Snape and Harry are in their reactions and thoughts.
This story makes use of a whole palette of emotions. It is truly adult fiction.
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8:17 pm - Review: "Splinter," by Sansa
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Title: Splinter
Author: sansa1970
Rating: NC 17
Warnings: Angst
Summary: Harry's still determined to save the world. Snape's determined to accept it as it is.
In this postwar story, Harry and Snape inhabit a wizarding dystopia. In order to supress any future civil wars, the wizarding authorities have drastically limited wizards' use of magic, and instituted totalitarian controls. Snape is determined to survive. Harry is determine to resist. And holy God, this is erotic, tense, and intelligently done. The pacing of the story is simply masterclass level. I was on the edge of my seat, gripping the laptop tightly, right up to the very end. And did I mention hot?
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8:06 pm - Review: "What Remains, Else All That Matters," by Opaquevision
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Title: What Remains, Else All That Matters
Author: opaquevision
Rating: NC 17
Warnings: dub con (but very mild, by my lights), angst, rimming
Summary: An unexpected reunion some years after the war, and many wounds -- old and new -- still need healing.
This story understands that the war is going to take a terrible toll on Harry. It's set after the war, and both Snape and Harry are damaged and complex. They meet in a bar, and things unfold from there. This is gritty and hot, and the characterization for both of them is breathtakingly good. Yes, yes, this is absolutely one way it could happen, between them. But after putting you through the wringer, the story closes with the most delicately sketched moment of ambiguous hope that one could imagine. Lovely.
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7:53 pm - Review: "This Boy's Life," by Pir8fancier
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Title: This Boy's Life
Author: pir8fancier
Rating: NC 17
Warnings: none, really
Summary: After the war, Harry wants more answers.
Set after the war, this story features a Scheherazade! Snape. Harry is old enough now to want a lot more backstory than he got when he was at Hogwarts, and approaches Snape (one of the few survivors) to coax as many tales as he can out of Snape.
The story is told in a first-person Snape POV, which might take a few pages to adjust to. But by the end, I'd decided that the POV device heightened the impact of the story. Many of the tales that Snape gives Harry are familiar from canon, but the way he tells us these tales does an exquisite job of character development. And in telling these stories to Harry, he builds a bridge between them. This story is not heavy on action, but is emotionally and psychologically powerful. It blew me away. And we come to know this Snape's thinking so well that it adds enormously to our understanding of the relationship that develops between them. "This Boy's Life" is intelligent, profoundly erotic, and heart-filling. This Snape is going to stay with me for a long time.
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| Sunday, November 5th, 2006
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12:55 pm - "Train Songs" by Scheming Reader
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Title: Train Songs
Author: Scheming Reader
Rating: NC-17
Author’s Warnings: rimming, other sex acts, dirty talk, happy ending.
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: schemingreader
Author’s summary: After the war is over, Harry and Severus meet on the train from Paris to Istanbul. Since neither has anywhere to go, should they go together?
Length: 16,000 words.
Reviewer: Gaycrow
"I could stand to be in Paris," Snape said. "Even though they're all French."
The war is over and Harry gets the chance to travel on the Continent, but has no-one to go with. Not much fun, that. However, he meets up with Snape on a very strange train trip. Throughout the story, the train changes magically. There's even a wizarding bathroom! Of course, the relationship between Snape and Harry gradually evolves (in a realistic way, with a little alcohol to help it along) and they make good use of that bathroom.
"Train Songs" is well written, and the description of a concert Harry and Snape attend in Venice is especially enjoyable.
I also enjoyed the interaction between Scheming Reader’s Snape and Harry - their dialogue is witty and smart and clever. Quite a few things made me smile.
"If a man's going to be gay, he can't be a girl about it," he told himself ...
and this one
"Why are you here with me, Potter?"
"Bit of a size queen? Warped from childhood? Who the bloody hell knows."
and
A man tried to pick him up at a coffee bar. He must be starting to look gay.
"Train Songs" gets better and better as it goes. You can almost hear the sound of the wheels and the clackety clack of the carriage moving along the rails. And for a sentimental romantic like me, the ending was PERFECT. I did like this very much indeed.
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| Friday, November 3rd, 2006
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6:46 am - Update: Stories, art and reviews added to the Master Lists during October 2007
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Here are the stories, art and reviews that have been added to the Master Lists during October 2007.
Just in case it's not clear, we don't list all Snape/Harry stories. We are neither exactly a recs list nor a comprehensive pairing list. For a fuller explanation of what we're doing and the choices we make please check our FAQ.
( Click here to see newly added stories, art and reviews. )
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| Wednesday, November 1st, 2006
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5:36 pm - Trick or Treat by Senjy
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Title: Trick or Treat
Author: Senjy
Rating: NC17
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: the_senjou
Author’s summary: Prompt: seregil_1982 Snape/Harry, Grimmauld Place, Trick or Treat, first halloween after the war and with grimmauld place without the fidelius
Length: 1987 words
Reviewer: Gaycrow
I haven’t read any other stories by Senjy, but I hope there are many more Snarries to come from this writer, because I really liked “Trick or Treat”.
As well as getting HOT bottom!Snape sex, we get to see a Snape all dressed up - in rich creamy robes, with gold embroidery. This is not the Snape we’ve become used to - he’s even braided his hair - but he’s no longer a Potions master; he now works for the Ministry, and turns up at Harry’s house at Halloween to present Harry with a peerage. Before long, he’s getting a special treat himself.
The author gives us lovely humorous dialogue, plus the usual snarkiness we’ve come to expect from an encounter between these two.
It’s not all that usual, though, to see Snape bottom for Harry, and this time around it’s done very well, with Senjy giving Snape a particularly lovely line:
"Then I'm all yours," he drawled, smirking as he lay back again and stretched his arms over his head.
This is an extremely enjoyable story, one that left me with a big smile, wishing there was more to come.
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1:29 pm - A Ghost of a Chance, by Daylyn
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Title: A Ghost of a Chance
Author: Daylyn
Rating: R
Author's Warnings: An angsty, hopeful Halloween tale. Character death.
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: daylyn
Author’s summary: On Halloween night, the ghost of Severus Snape has one last chance to help a lost and lonely Harry Potter.
Length: 1,535 words
Reviewer: Gaycrow
Can a death fic be fluffy and romantic, as well as angsty? In this case, the answer appears to be yes. The word “bittersweet” crops up throughout the comments about “A Ghost of a Chance”, and perhaps that best conveys the feeling generated by this short story.
If you’re like me, and don’t usually read death fics, “A Ghost of a Chance” might be one that you can read without being scarred for life. There is pain, but the story is well written, with both Harry and Snape mostly staying in character throughout. I didn't mind that Snape showed desire, longing, and the fear of rejection in his quest to help Harry.
If you like your death fics loaded with angst and darkness, this might not be for you. However, if you prefer lighter fics, perhaps you'll enjoy it as much as I did despite its more sombre moments.
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| Friday, October 27th, 2006
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7:26 pm - Say Anything by Kass
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Title: Say Anything
Author: Kass
Rating: NC17
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: kassrachel
Author’s summary/notes: Jo Ellen wanted Slytherin fiction for her birthday. Casting about for ideas, I asked Sanj for a pairing and a concept. Sanj said, "Snape/Harry; Harry explains cheese from a can. Or some other incomprehensible Muggle thing." The result was almost certainly not what she meant, but it was fun to write, and since it's definitely Slytherin fiction, I offered it to Jo.
Length: 535 words
Reviewer: Gaycrow
All it took was one night of slightly too much to drink, one snippy comment from Snape about Harry's parentage, and about eleven seconds of standing right up in Snape's personal space yelling before Harry found himself plastering his erstwhile professor to the wall of the pub.
That’s how it starts, and things move quickly. In public, Snape and Harry are the same as always ... quarrelling and sniping at each other, but the nights are different.
Snape’s starts talking and the game deepens. Harry feels he has to respond, and in the final sentence of this sexy little ficlet he does so, in a manner that not only takes Snape by surprise, but made me grin in delight. Those who like the lighter side of Snape and Harry will hopefully feel the same.
The writing here is tight and sparse, and highly descriptive; it's a very good story. I only have one little quibble. Most people probably won’t think anything of it, but finicky Brit-pickers like me might find the mention of Cheez Whiz a bit jarring. Don’t press the back-button though - "Say Anything" is too good to let the mention of a little can of spray cheese spoil it (and I did love the sentence in which it's used).
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6:01 am - A Scientific Approach by Sansa
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Title: A Scientific Approach
Author: Sansa
Rating: NC17
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: Here or here, reposted at the author’s Live Journal
Author’s Livejournal: sansa1970
Author’s summary: Severus takes Harry shopping. Shameless smut, no plot, but so much fun to write. Written for The Two Broomsticks “Opening Line” Challenge – “Is it supposed to be that small?”
Length: 2,498 words
Reviewer: Gaycrow
In a recent re-posting of this story, Sansa came up with a new (to me) description of fluffy porn - florn, and this story is a lovely example of that.
I’m a real sucker for stories where Snape and Harry get totally carried away by lust, and can excuse almost anything to read that. Not much to excuse here, though. Just lots of wand play, double entendres, and a Snape who’s intoxicated by being in Harry’s power ... plus sharp, snappy writing, with clever, humorous sentences like these:
The boy’s brain made more noise than a freight train, screeching and thumping along its mental tracks ... and “Poor dear,” the oldest was still clucking in a very motherly way. “Problem with your wand?”
“Not anymore,” Harry answered over Severus’s shoulder.
"A Scientific Approach" is a delightful little ficlet, highly recommended to those who enjoy the lighter side of Snarry.
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| Sunday, October 22nd, 2006
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10:04 pm - A Pattering of Praise by Abstract Concept
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Title: A Pattering of Praise
Author: Abstract Concept
Rating: NC17
Author's Warnings: For Inkgeist. I’m told it’s not as dirty as I thought, but it’s heavier. One of my few serious ficlets.
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: the_con_cept
Author’s summary: Since Snape rarely gives, Harry learns to hoard what little he can get.
Reviewer: Gaycrow
A short little ficlet, "A Pattering of Praise" is a more serious offering than we’re used to finding from Abstract Concept. However, it still showcases both her wonderful use of language, and the skill she has in finishing off a story in a quietly satisfying manner.
Here we have Snape and Harry in a hurt/comfort situation where Snape stays true to character, while at the same time managing to give Harry what he needs. The repeated use of certain phrases and sentences throughout this short story works very well.
"A Pattering of Praise" is beautifully written, entrancing and seductive, almost haunting in a way, and is a very good depiction of "post-war reaction" from both Snape and Harry.
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| Wednesday, October 18th, 2006
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5:44 am - Science by Barbarella
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Title: Science
Author: Barbarella
Rating: NC17 for graphic sex, language, rimming.
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: loupgarou1750
Author’s note: This was written as part of pornicators' Minifest Challenge 2006. The prompt/request came from txrabbit who asked for – "Established relationship: I would like to see really well-written, first time rimming, where Snape is unsure of why anyone would want that done, and Harry finally convinces him to let Harry do it to him. Happy ending, please."
Length: 2,116 words
Reviewer: Gaycrow
"Science" is a steamy, erotic short story describing Harry’s attempts to kiss his lover in a very intimate place. Snape’s having none of it "... As a man of science, I find it very difficult to understand why anyone would want to do THAT, Potter. It's unhygienic! It's unsavoury!"
However, Harry is an extremely persuasive lover, and he seduces Snape with passionate words and actions, and before Snape knows it, he’s been thoroughly "kissed". I particularly like Harry here. He seems to love Snape very much, but the story doesn’t come across as being too fluffy at all.
"Science" is explicit and highly descriptive throughout. If you enjoy well written PWP stories , featuring rimming and graphic language, this will probably be just the story for you.
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| Tuesday, October 17th, 2006
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12:52 pm - Pimp by LoupGarou1750
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Title: Pimp
Author: LoupGarou1750
Rating: PG (pre-slash)
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: loupgarou1750
Author’s summary: Dumbledore really is a meddlesome git, thank god.
Reviewer: Gaycrow
Snape, when asked by Dumbledore to teach Harry Sex Magic, is absolutely horrified. But maybe not for the reason he pretends. Dumbledore knows everything, however, and eventually Snape admits defeat.
“Pimp” is a short ficlet, where the Headmaster’s slightly different use of Legilimency, employed as a little extra persuasion for Snape, comes as quite a surprise.
This is LoupGarou's first story, and it provides an interesting take on the whole Occlumency/Legilimency branch of magic, while at the same time showing us a rather more familiar relationship between the tea drinking Headmaster and his "in denial" Potions Master.
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10:07 am - Cracky Birthday by Jadzialove
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Title: Cracky Birthday
Author: Jadzialove
Rating: NC-17
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: jadzialove
Reviewer: Gaycrow
Jadzialove’s written this highly entertaining and amusing short story as a present for DementorDelta.
Here we have Harry trying to convince Severus to do something special for Delta, as she’s been so good to them. Severus takes some convincing, "You are endeavoring to convince me to perform a sex act… by performing a sex act? Your powers of logic are astound— Oh, that's nice, just there ...", but Harry proves to be very accomplished as he warms to his task.
Along the way, we’re treated to a description of some of Delta’s much loved Snape/Harry adventures, and after reading this original little ficlet, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to revisit the stories mentioned.
I very much enjoyed this engaging, light-hearted, sexy piece of writing - a lovely present for both Delta and the Snarry fandom.
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8:47 am - Severus Snape's Five Ways to Entertain Himself on a Slow Day in the Dungeons by Opaquevision
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Title: Severus Snape's Five Ways to Entertain Himself on a Slow Day in the Dungeons
Author: Opaquevision
Rating: R
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: opaquevision
Reviewer: Gaycrow
This is a short, hot little ficlet where the title says it all ... Severus is planning his day, and remembers the time he and Harry spent together during the war. Should he change things? Or leave things as they are? It doesn’t take long to find out Severus’s decision. A sequel, detailing more thoroughly each of the five ways, would be very interesting to read.
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| Sunday, October 15th, 2006
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7:23 pm - Review: "Time and Again," by Sushi
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Title: Time and Again
Author: Sushi (wikdsushi)
Pairing Snape/Harry and Harry/Ginny
Rating: NC 17
Warnings Infidelity. Wait, that's not a warning, is it? For some, it's an attraction
This story manages to do quite a few things, and makes it all look easy. It's completely DH-compliant, Snarry, and (as day follows night, since we last left Harry in a distinctly married condition, back in that travesty she called the epilogue) it includes a serious spot of infidelity.
My cup runs over.
But even more than the cheap thrill of a kink hit square-on, what I relished about this story was its casual, profound grasp of the realities of adult life. Harry and Ginny feel like a long-married couple here. And Harry's tentative, sometimes awkward interactions with his children . . . well, yes. Sometimes that's just how it feels to deal with the walking timebombs called adolescents. The emotions here are complex and meaty.
And the ending . . . . well, it's not sad. What more can one ask for (realistically) with this pairing, eh?
Check it out. It's just what the doctor ordered, as far as I'm concerned.
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| Friday, October 13th, 2006
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4:00 am - Clause and Effect by Imkalena
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Title: Clause and Effect
Author: Imkalena
Rating: R
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: imkalena
Author’s summary 7,100 Words of Snape-Flavoured Fluff
Reviewer: Gaycrow
A pleasant, light-hearted story, living up to the author’s promise of Snape-Flavoured Fluff. No angst here, but not so fluffy that it makes your teeth ache.
Post-war Harry has opened an apothecary shop in Hogsmeade, and has signed Snape to a five year contract to work with him. In the five years that have passed since they joined forces, Harry has divorced Ginny, providing much grist to the gossip writers’ mill. Snape’s reaction to these newspaper stories is quite surprising.
This will be Harry’s first Christmas without the Weasleys. He decides to do Christmas in style, dragging Snape around Diagon Alley, buying almost everything in site. Having recently decided to seduce his employer, Snape finds himself looking at Harry in quite a different light. Now it’s interesting, instead of enough to drive him spare, to walk down the street at his side.
Unfortunately, during their day of Christmas decorating, Snape is operating under a slight misapprehension, believing that Harry is working on a different agenda to that which Harry really has in mind. All is revealed on Christmas night, where both Snape and Harry get what they want.
Imkalena has written a witty, enjoyable Christmas story, without moving too far from Snape’s usual snarky personality. Along the way, she’s made clever use of canon phrases, finally leaving us with a positive feeling about Snape and Harry’s future.
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| Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
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12:35 am - Surrender To The Waiting Worlds by Stellahobbit
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Title: Surrender To The Waiting Worlds
Author: Stellahobbit
Rating: R
Author's Warnings: None
Story Link: here
Author’s Livejournal: stellahobbit
Author’s summary Harry would have been happy to keep driving, but Snape won't let him.
Reviewer: Gaycrow
Stella has written a very unusual, intensely gripping story - Snape and Harry are on a road trip, travelling in a car to an unknown destination. The writing is tight and lean, and there are vague hints that all is not as it seems. As we read on, the sense of eeriness and surreality increases, until we reach Snape and Harry’s destination, where we are left a little puzzled and unsure of quite what has happened.
I usually like to have the stories I read fully explained, and need to know what happens to Snape and Harry after becoming so involved in their fan fic journeys. However, with a good writer, I’ve come to realise that now and then a thought provoking, enigmatic ending is sometimes just as acceptable. That’s how I feel about this story, and it will be interesting to see if others agree.
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