Rats in the System

Title: Rats in the System
Author: GarrulousGibberish
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John(/Sherlock), Mycroft, Jim, Anderson
Warning: R, murder (Sherlock, John), illness, character death (Mrs Hudson, Lestrade), injury (John, Lestrade, Sherlock)
Length: Medium
Status: Ongoing


No one knows where the virus started. No one knows how to stop it, either. But Sherlock will find a solution. He always does. Or he'd better, because otherwise he's going to be short a flatmate.


AO3


That's one story to enjoy angst at its finest. The characterization is superb, and the setting just screams challenge. I did not have high expectations when I began to read it, but this story captivated me after the first chapter.

This Is Where I Began

Title: This Is Where I Began
Author: dioscureantwins
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Mycroft, Sherlock, Daddy Holmes (Sherlock), OMC (John, Mr Talbot, Mr Mancini), John, Mommy Holmes
Warning: R, character death (Daddy Holmes, Mr Mancini), illness (Mummy Holmes), non-con (Sherlock), drug abuse (Sherlock)
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing


The only evidence remaining is the expression on his face. Now he remembers it was different from his usual scowl of disgust at the utter dullness of the whole human race – with the exception of John of course. In fact it’s the expression that immediately crops up in his mind at the thought of Daddy’s face. A look of quiet benevolent fondness, not cast around without discrimination but almost always there while looking at his mother, Mycroft, himself.



AO3


There are too many great lines not to quote them. And I think they actually tell more about the quality of this work than any of my praise would do. It just... explains so much, and in so much depth about Mycroft and Sherlock.

“I do hope you will find a John of your own one day Sherlock, because we all need a John."

"He could have been so much more but he chose not to.”

“I … I know I should love him, I want to love him but he’s making it really hard for me. Why does he have to resemble you so much? He’s like a clone and sometimes I feel each day he lives he saps your strength. He’s going to make you die on me.” (Mummy Holmes to Daddy Sherlock about Sherlock)

 “You’re not him,” she says. “You’re nothing but an impostor."

 "I love you. I want to love you. But you’re making it so hard for me. You’ve always rejected me, right from the start. You didn’t want my milk … You squirmed away from my breast with a look of disgust on your tiny face. Your lovely tiny face. And whenever I bent over your cot to pick you up … you were just lying there … looking at me with his eyes … but no kindness … “ (Mummy Holmes to Sherlock) 

 The loss of Mycroft. That’s what the school uniform signifies.

 That night he had crept into Mycroft’s bed to be close to a body he could trust to do him no harm.

 Sherlock wants to reach out to him, to lay his small hand on Daddy’s big long-fingered one to tell him it’s all right, he won’t tell Mummy what he’s seen.

 But it would help if you’d change your attitude, if only a bit. For Christ’s sake, Sherlock, I’m not yet sixteen. I’m nothing but a schoolboy myself and all these worries get heaped on my plate. Mummy is no help at all. She just tells me to arrange everything as I see fit.

 "That’s just stupid and you know it, Sherlock. Or you should ask Mycroft if you don’t. He could explain it well enough. In the real world one doesn’t choose the gardener over the estate. Those fairy stories only happen in novels.”

It is  very sad, a very detailed fictional universe. One of the best works I've ever read.

Brother Mine

Title: Brother Mine
Author: Wind_Ryder
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Mycroft, Sherlock, OMC (Sherrinford), OMC (Kent)
Warning: PG-13, illness (Sherrinford - psychopathy), character death (Kent)
Length: Medium
Status: Ongoing

Mycroft Holmes knew there was something wrong with his older brother. He could see it in the way that he moved, the way that he smiled, the way that he spoke. To everyone else he was a perfect child: happy, grateful, and kind. But Mycroft knew better, and he would do everything he could to keep his younger brother as far away from him as possible.

Sometimes though, he fails.

AO3

A brilliant series which shows us a sweet little William who is very much in need of protection. The characters are believable, and it is a good interpretation of Mycroft's "the other one" comment in S3.
Definitely worth a read. There's a certain darkness lurking at the edge but it's not too uncomfortable. For now, PG-13.

Same author as:
Finally
Something New

The Circle of Fifths

Title: The Circle of Fifths
Author: Nikoshinigami
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, John/Mary, OFC (Billie), Mycroft, OMC (Church), Jim, Moran
Warning: NC-17, slash, injury (John, Sherlock), character death (Mary)
Length: Novel
Status: Completed

John writes a blog entry.

E-mails between John and Mr. Sigerson.

John's life is not only in danger but caught in a delicate balance between love, friendship, and his own desires. A supporting character in his own life's story, it may already be too late to affect his life's course.

Nothing is ever simple for John Watson when it involves Sherlock Holmes. With the world doing its best to outdo even its only consulting detective, can the things left unsaid ever finally be spoken?

John has enough to deal with in his normal life as it is, but when a stranger arrives with a new case that cannot be turned down, can he juggle his choices with their repercussions well enough for them all to survive?



AO3



Oh God. Oh God.
I just have to quote.

I don't come first anymore, John," he admitted, not as blind to the fact as some of his actions seemed to indicate. "Things come up, girlfriends or wives make requests. Schedules aren't as flexible. I'm asking you to save a date for me. I want, when this is over, one more day where I am the most important thing you have planned for that evening."

Then there's the brilliant ""hurt my brother.." talk with awkward Mycroft, more awkward John, and uncomfortable Sherlock.

John would wait. John would always wait. Because Sherlock couldn’t come to him if he didn’t.

Just have to love that line. Especially when you remember it from the second instalment, the one when Sherlock tells John that he will be waiting because if he won't, John can't come to him.

You have to love this story. Everybody does.

Same author as:
Naked, Stripped, and Raw
Two of Every Kind
The Ichor of Talos

Scotch

Title: Scotch
Author: earlgreytea68
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, Mycroft/Lestrade, 
Warning: R, slash
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing


Post-Reichenbach fic with Sherlock's return and reunion with John.


Scotch

A very simple story, but earlgreytea68 is amazing with details and interpersonal relationships.
I adore this Mystrade couple. Not my usual cup of tea, here, though.. Yes.


Same author as:
The Bang and the Clatter
John Watson's Twelve Days of Christmas
Nature and Nurture
Saving Sherlock Holmes

Intimacies

Title: Intimacies
Author: pbjetpetita
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock/John , John/OMC, Sherlock/OMC
Warning: R, slash, violence (John)
Length: Medium
Status: Completed

In the first couple of weeks at 221B Baker Street, John decides how to go about being Sherlock Holmes's friend.
John is still working through what it means that he's become friends with the world's only consulting detective. And now he knows that joking about it is not always such a good idea.
In which John is left on his own to investigate a murder, Sherlock is mistakenly locked in a lab at Bart’s, and “friendship” and “love story” are shown not to be mutually exclusive categories.
After an unlucky encounter with a couple of homophobes in an alley, John spends some time reconsidering things. Sherlock remains, as per usual, hyperaware of important things (like the amount of mud on a shoe or the quality of any given toiletry product), and half-insensible to irrelevant things (like feelings).
Sherlock attempts to get over his infatuation with his new flatmate using the time-honored solutions of brooding, misdirection, and avoidance. And of course sex.


AO3

Ehm. There's lots of hugging.
I think this describes the story quite well...
I am serious ^^
Bonus: John in a gay club. John all proud that he did it with a guy. Yes. Incredibly adorable. Don't let Martin Freeman read that...

A Study in Lullabies

Title: A Study in Lullabies

Author: shooting-stetsons

Fandom: Sherlock

Characters: John/Sherlock, OMC (baby), Jim/Sherlock, Mycroft, Lestrade

Warning: PG-13, genderbender( fem!Sherlock), child abuse (Sherlock)

Length: Novella
Status: Ongoing

In which Sherlock Holmes is a woman with an infant son.

AO3

Read it. Now.

Sherlock with a child is something that has been done before, but not often. Here, John knowingly enters the strange relationship they develop. From the beginning, he suspects that he will end up  as a father without actually "having gotten" some. Yet, he moves in.

You really feel the love between them, and the love they feel for the baby.

Two Coffees One Black One with Sugar Please

Series Title: Two Coffees One Black One with Sugar Please
Author: Linpatootie
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warning: R, slash
Length: Medium
Status: Completed


A somewhat pointless experiment on Sherlock's behalf leads to John having to re-evaluate pretty much his entire life.
Sherlock wants to conduct a sleep study of sorts. John contemplates smothering him with a pillow.


At AO3


This is fluffy as a cloud. John's great, the way the relationship starts is great, everything's... duh, what do you think? Great.
A nice story to read before bedtime. Definitely.

Same Author as:
You Get What You Need

If You Were...

Title: If You Were...
Author: Kryptaria, Mitaya, The_Kinky_Pet
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, John/Jim, Irene, Mycroft, Lestrade/Molly
Warning: NC-17, slash, BDSM, injury(John), violence
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing

Sherlock and John meet as potential flatmates, just in time for John to get a more attractive offer as a partner in Irene Adler's business. This calls for discretion, so he reluctantly refuses Sherlock's offer to share a flat, but he can't quite get Sherlock Holmes out of his mind.

A series of suicides provides Sherlock with a much-needed distraction. A dead cabbie gives Sherlock the next clue in the game: the name Moriarty. And when John Watson comes back into the game, Sherlock can't help but wonder where to draw the line between coincidence and fact.

At AO3

Series includes:
If You Were Mine
If You Were with Me on the Bridge
If You Were the Hunter

Difficult work, to be honest. I can't say whole-heartedly that I liked it. There were some elements that almost frightened me off, e.g. John/Jim. But then, I can't say without adding a but that I didn't like it. Because, hands down, Sherlock is written very intriguingly. Sometimes I really respected John, sometimes I thought he was forced into too many roles. In the end, the story left me hanging. I didn't really know whether I was rooting for Johnlock - John just didn't seem to care as much for Sherlock as Sherlock did for him. That made me feel bad for Sherlock. But John did care before, so... difficult. I suppose there's still some time for him to come around and sort out his feelings.

Kryptaria also wrote:
Northwest Passage

Death Takes a Holiday

Title: Death Takes a Holiday
Author: LyraNgalia, rude_not_ginger
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock/Irene
Warning: R, het, drug abuse, injury, BDSM
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing

After his Fall, the ghost of Sherlock Holmes and the late Irene Adler find themselves unexpectedly reunited in the Montenegrin city of Kotor. But just because a reunion is unexpected does not mean it is unwelcome, and the Consulting Detective and the Woman agree to a tenuous partnership to bring down the remainder of Jim Moriarty's network.

But would the obliteration of the spider's web and the promise of resurrection for Sherlock Holmes be enough to keep such a volatile partnership intact?

At AO3



With this series, there's a lot going on beneath the surface. Not an easy read and not really a pleasurable one. This is very intricately woven and requires real effort by the reader to see the parts. Otherwise the pieces do not fit, you cannot gain much from it.
It's actually quite a feat; you never know whether the author lost herself in the story or whether you need to reread the entire chapter. It's a good, a difficult story taking place at so many levels it's not easy to keep track, to remain in control of what you experience.

Perspectives on a Singular Theme

Title: Perspectives on a Singular Theme
Author: branwyn
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, Mycroft, Lestrade
Warning: PG, mention of non-con, mention of drug abuse, genderbender
Length: Short
Status: Ongoing Series


Sometimes it seems to Mycroft that Sherlock is racing the world to destroy herself before it can destroy her.


At AO3

Let's face it: the title's nothing special, the main idea is no break-through, the writing is not especially captivating.
And yet I really, really like this. I adore it. It is a mix of Sherlock's life in slices and tells a story without stating facts. It merely exists for its own sake. For the setting. There are no new developments, there's no hard case in there, there is no real shipping. The author seems to have dedicated this story to the setting itself. That's special enough about this series. Plenty.

None Other Series

Title: None Other Series
Author: Aspeninthesunlight
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Snape, Harry(/Luna), Draco(/OFC)
Warning: R, het, violence, injury (self-harm), murder, mention of het, mention of slash, adoption
Length: Novel
Status: Ongoing

I:
A Year like None Other

It all started with a letter from home and family. Except, Harry doesn't really have either, does he? He's about to get them. A Snape-adopts-Harry story providing an alternate 6th year. 

760 k words.

II:
A Summer like None Other

 Family isn't everything, as Harry, Snape, and Draco discover in this sequel to A Year Like None Other. How will a mysterious mirror and a surprising new relationship affect a father and his two sons?

220 k words.

III:
A Family like None Other

During his final year at Hogwarts, relationships will splinter as Harry confronts secrets long-buried and faces the greatest challenge of them all.

380 k words.



I have to admit: I haven't read A Family like None Other yet. Not completely. Will do so soon, just haven't got the time. The series is an excellent read, though. It is rather logical, in character (and if it isn't, there's a good explanation for it). Aspeninthesunlight belongs to the greatest HP Fandom writers out there and even if one does not like Snape, Harry and Draco, one should know about this masterpiece.

Him and Her

Title: Him and Her
Author: Aussieflower
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock/Irene, John
Warning: PG, mention of het
Length: Medium
Status: Completed


She baffled him. Confused him to no end. He didn't understand. And that was very new.He couldn't stand it.' A story about Irene and Sherlock, how they felt about eachother, and how and why Sherlock rescued her.

Prequel to: And than there Were 3


At FF


Not great but a solid prequel to a nice story. I actually favor And than there Were 3 but this is a nice "bonus".

Virginity

Series Title: Virginity
Author: thinkpink20
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Lestrade/Sherlock (implied switching)
Warning: R, mild slash
Length: Short
Status: Ongoing


Lestrade and Sherlock on their own, all alone. 


At AO3

The problem with this series is... I like it. Even though I don't like Sherlock's attitude in it.
So... still deserves a rec.

And than there Were 3

Title: And then there Were 3
Author: Aussieflower
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock/Irene, John, OMC (Nero)
Warning: R, mention of het, pregnancy
Length: Medium
Status: Completed


Irene and Sherlock have new obstacles in their way that test their relationship more than before.


At FF


This is actually the sequel to Him and Her. I am currently reading that one. Shame on me, I started out with And than there Were 3. While they seem a bit OoC, Irene and Sherlock are portrayed beautifully as a couple in a functional dysfunctional relationship. I rather liked daddy!Sherlock.

The Way the Heavens Go

Title: The Way the Heavens Go
Author:  solojones
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Irene/Sherlock, John/Mary
Warning: NC-17, het
Length: Medium
Status: Ongoing


Sherlock brings John and Mary along with him on a case in Florence, but he has an ulterior motive: to reunite with Irene. But Sherlock and Irene quickly realize they have to face the reality of old wounds alongside the fantasies of their new relationship. And as the deceptions escalate, John fears his friend may be falling into another dangerous trap. And this time, it might be up to John to do the saving.


At AO3


Sequel to: The Sign of the Four and What He Likes
As stated in the rec for The Sign of the Four, I am not too fond of What He Likes but the character study is nice to read. In The Way the Heavens Go, we see Sherlock and Irene reunited - with John and Mary too close "to home".

The Sign of the Four

Title: The Sign of the Four
Author: solojones
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: Sherlock, John/Mary, Lestrade
Warning: R, drug abuse, illness (cardiac arrest!Sherlock)
Length: Novel
Status: Completed

A year and a half post-Reichenbach, a damaged Sherlock Holmes returns to Baker Street. But everything's changed, leaving the friendship between Sherlock and John tense and uncertain.

While struggling to adjust, Sherlock, John, and Mary Morstan find themselves on a case involving betrayal, deception, and tests of friendship. But will it make their bonds stronger or tear them apart? And will it matter if Sherlock's demons pull him under first? 

At AO3



This story actually has a sequel. It is Sherlock/Irene and I had a look but won't rec it here. It is not necessary to have read the prequel to understand The Sign of the Four. Still, here the link: What He Likes
What He Likes is angsty, full of drug use and shows us Irene waivering, unsure, conflicted. While it's a nice read, I particularly didn't like the fact that Sherlock goes back to Baker Street where there's no space for him anymore.

I am actually kind of thankful: solojones managed to keep the John/Mary down to a minimum. She's actually not important - except, to give a psychological inside. Sherlock's character study in here is mainly achieved by her input and John's observations, fuelled by her input, of course. This made her actually a key person. I hate stories where the author puts her in for Canon's sake instead of for the story's sake

Continued in : The Way the Heavens Go

Four Corners of the Western World

Title: Four Corners of the Western World
Author: pennypaperbrain
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock
Warnings: NC-17, BDSM,  slash, mental illness (bipolar!Sherlock), suicidal (John + Sherlock), murder
Length: Novella
Status: Completed


Three months after his best friend and unrequited crush apparently committed suicide in front of him, John’s life has been turned upside down again by a voicemail from Sherlock in the US, saying he is covertly tracking down the remains of Moriarty’s network, and asking John to join him.
Two days on, John is on his way to meet Sherlock in Malta. Everything seems to have changed between them: not only is Sherlock being overtly affectionate in his texts, but he quite explicitly wants sex. But there’s just one problem (apart from the small matter of the international assassins etc): Sherlock’s behaviour is getting steadily stranger, even by his standards. John starts to worry his friend may be on drugs again…


At AO3



Personally, I read the second story first and was intrigued. The first one is not necessary to understand the characters' motivations or reasons. The second one stands on its own quite beautifully. I read the first story afterwards and actually was kind of disappointed. It is nicely written but lacks the epic feeling Malta Bright incorporates.
My resumée: read Malta Bright, read it, read it. It contains wonderful done bipolar!Sherlock, medical!John, a dire situation, guns, a healthy portion slash and kink.

Watches

Series Title: Watches
Author: bendingsignpost
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, Sherlock, OC
Warning: R, character death (Sherlock, John maybe, John thought to have died, Sherlock thought to have died, Jim), mention of het, slash, injury (John, Sherlock), AU
Length: Novella
Status: Ongoing



First, he is shot in Afghanistan. Second, he wakes to a phone call in Chelmsford, Essex. Third is pain, fourth is normalcy, fifth is agony and sixth is confusion. By the eighth, he's lost track.


At AO3


This is... interesting. (pun intended)
No, seriously. It's a bit freaky, a bit strange, some parts just don't make sense until the very end. But... it's good. It's good. (pun intended). Worth a read, the abstract idea was rather intriguing. Okay, there are stories where you just space out and then there are those where you can't do that. This story belongs to the latter named category.

It's a bit tricky, and probably the warnings were confusing too; basically there are three universes, thus three "Sherlocks", Jim's and so on.
Reminds me of a Harry Potter fanfiction which is rather well-known: the Resonance - Revolution - Resolution novel in which Harry discovers parallel universes as well.

Winter's Child

Title: Winter's Child
Author: ImpishTubist, Canon_Is_Relative
Fandom: Sherlock
Characters: John/Sherlock, Lestrade, OMC
Warnings: R, character death, injury, illness, mention of child abuse, mention of drug abuse, mention of slash
Length: Novel
Status: Completed


Five years after they meet, Sherlock and John adopt a baby boy.

At AO3


Fuck the description, it does not reflect the great story underneath it.

This story is heart-crushing. I don't know if I'll ever be able to read a Sherlock fanfiction without comparing it to this masterpiece. There are happy moments in which you rejoice with the characters, and there are sad moments that sting so much you think your lung was pierced in the process. Even now, I am fighting with tears. Don't want them to be shed. To me, this is a must-read, one of the works a fan should know.

This is R-rated because of the intensity, the emotional impact it causes.

While I - to this date - am unaware of Canon_Is_Relative, ImpishTubist is one of the finest writers out there I know. Works by that author I can recommend:
They're Gonna Be All Right  ( Lestrade/Sherlock)
The Coming of The Night (Lestrade/Sherlock)
A Memory that Never Forgets
The First and Only Convention of the Scotland Yard Matchmaker Committee
The Fall of Gods
An Age of Silver