Horatio Hornblower - 8 recs

[recsforalloccasions]

A lot of early Horatio Hornblower fic is no longer online. Stories for which I can no longer find active links have been removed from this recs set.

Hornblower Recs for All Occasions

Part V: Hey, this is the British Navy, where's all the drunken debauchery??

You have to love a fandom where drunken (and sometimes even sober) shore leave debauchery is a genre all its own. It's such a simple concept, two sailors, one bed. Or maybe two sailors, one table, or one sailor, one witty companion, one bed. Really, it's all negotiable and it's all great sexy fun.

Advantage by damned_colonial - It's rather a different kind of shore leave for Archie Kennedy when he meets up with the incomparable and irrepressible Miss Sophy Stanton-Lacy in Gibraltar. Sophy hails from the Georgette Heyer novel The Grand Sophy and she is a perfect match for the mischievous Midshipman Kennedy. Advantage is a light tale, a charming and sexy shore leave encounter. Both characters are terrifically rendered, and Horatio -- in his brief appearance -- is also spot on. But even more then capturing the characters, damned_colonial manages to capture the fabulous Heyer style and then takes it places Heyer never did, but many readers always imagined.

On Account by CopperCowries - There's a lot to love about this story, but what endears it to me the most is the location, quite possibly the worst rented room ever to grace a first time fic. CopperCowries positively revels in that room. From the smog-encrusted window to the remarkably dilapidated bed, she really captures the feel of the worst lodgings a couple of cash-strapped recently-ex-POWs could possibly find themselves in. And then, having created such a thoroughly unappealing location, she manages to make the reader completely forget about it and only have eyes for the two frustrated sailors within it. And oh, are they ever frustrated. A classic example of the perils of non-verbal communication: just because it's non-verbal, that doesn't mean they're both speaking the same language.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by the_dala - The lovely Dala turns her hand to Hornblower and her fabulous gift for characterization on Horatio and Archie. It's the first shore leave post-Ferrol and you know, somehow, Horatio and Archie keep completely failing to leave their room. Dala captures young Horatio and Archie perfectly. There is an endearing playfulness to their relationship, yet at the same time it's clear that they're both well aware of the risk they are taking. Short, sweet and sexy, serious without being sappy, this is a truly charming and delightful story.
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is clearly quite an inspiring story. And I am oh so glad of that, for it inspired black_hound to draw some extremely yummy (and very not work safe) art. Hornblower Life Drawing Class - Assignment One

Drawing by elke_tanzer - A short, utterly charming little character sketch set in the wee hours of the morning after. Archie wears his heart on his sleeve, and sometimes -- when he's feeling possessive -- on Horatio's. Well maybe not so much his sleeve… There is a wealth of detail imparted in this humorous and sexy little slice of time. Elke Tanzer really has a feel for the Archie/Horatio relationship, and for the doubts that plague even the most confident of souls.

Clear for Action by MissKittie - With his Lieutenants exam coming up, Horatio thinks Archie out to be studying navigation. Archie prefers to brush up on boarding maneuvers. A heady mix of pure, unapologetic, scorching-hot sex and deliciously terrible naval metaphors, this is what every PWP should aspire to be.

With Pleasure by widget285 - Widget takes a rainy day in Plymouth, adds two sailors on their first shore leave in months, mixes liberally and comes up with this steamy little tale. It's wet and rough and insanely, breathtakingly hot. Widget has a real gift for descriptive narrative. You can feel the clammy wet Plymouth air, nearly taste the water dripping down Horatio's neck. The sex in With Pleasure is blisteringly hot, but Widget gives the fic added depth with a well-placed reminder that Archie Kennedy -- though grown into a strong and capable officer -- is still not quite finished making himself whole again.

Liquor & Liquorish Lieutenants by CopperCowries (Part of the series The Laurel & The Rose) - So what did happen when Archie and Horatio drank Portsmouth dry? CopperCowries is one of many authors to take that one line and run with it. Here, as part of her The Laurel & The Rose series, we see two sides of Horatio and one steadfast side of his friend and lover, Archie Kennedy. CopperCowries captures Horatio's personality perfectly here -- in particular his ever-present tendency to worry and stress and find things to feel guilty about and adeptly shows exactly how frustrating it can be to be in a relationship with someone like that. But that's later, first we get to see the upright Lt. Hornblower very very drunk and very much in love. Featuring one of the most believable depictions of drunken antics I've seen, this is an entertaining and imminently believable story.

Interlude's Pledge by la_reine_bleu - In the space between Frogs & Lobsters and Mutiny la_reine_bleu gives us a separated Horatio and Archie; different postings, different shore leaves, only the rare chance to meet up for a night or two. Theirs is an uncertain world -- and an uncertain profession -- how do you maintain a relationship with someone who you see only rarely, always knowing that every encounter may be your last? It's not an unreasonable predicament and la_reine_bleu addresses it in a lovely style. Interlude's Pledge is romantic without being schmoopy, dramatic, but not without it's moments of humor. Much of the credit for that delicate balance goes to la_reine_bleu's beautifully sparing and bittersweet prose. la_reine_bleu does a great job of populating all her stories with distinct and original OCs, who even when making only brief appearances help to inhabit and bring Horatio and Archie's world to life.