janes_recs, posts by tag: genre: fantasy - LiveJournal (original) (raw)
Title: The Crown of the Summer Court by astolat
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Categories: AU, action, drama, humor, fantasy, favorite
Length: ~24,000 words
Warnings: n/a
Review:
A troop of elves comes to Camelot to pick their next king. (Uther is not pleased.) Turns out Merlin is in the running. (Uther is really, really not pleased.) And Arthur is his champion. (...Uther? Uther!)
This story isn't quite as silly as my summary would lead you to believe -- in fact, it's a damn good old school fantasy, full of challenges and intrigues and the aphrodisiac qualities of magic. The beauty of the story, though, and what truly makes it worth reading over and over again, is the fact that astolat doesn't take her premise or her plot too seriously, which results in a lot of banter, a lot of humor, and a truly engaging tale of bravery, sacrifice, and magic.
Reminiscent of season 1 Merlin (with a less dickish Arthur), The Crown of the Summer Court is a fantastically fun way to while away a few hours.