het_reccers | Challenge 56 recs: Terminator:Sarah Connor Chronicles (Reply)

Fandom Category: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Pairing: Sarah Connor/OC Ryan Connor (John Connor/Cameron Philips)
Title: Purpose
Rating: R
Author: phantomwriter05
link: FFnet

Genre: Scifi/Adventure
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read: Ryan Connor is one of the most compelling original characters developed from the TSCC world, and this fic is one of the few that posits that John and Cameron/Alison had a son (many go with a daughter). Technically, the piece requires some beta work (typos and word substitutions that distract) but the story and characterizations are so compelling that the weaknesses of the piece can be easily ignored. The prequel piece to another work, both stories are grim and disturbing and complex. The story takes some elements from T3 and T4 movies and brings everything together in a twisted way. This story asks the question "What if Sarah was never sprung from jail in Born to Run? What if another force intervened?"

Fandom Category: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Pairing: Sarah Connor/Derek Reese (John Connor/Cameron Philips), Ryan Connor
Title: Because the Night
Rating: R
Author: phantomwriter05
link: FFnet

Genre: Mystery/Family
WIP?: Yes (almost finished apparently)

Why This Must Be Read: The sequel to Purpose, this story continues where Purpose left off. The author clearly loves George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and the influence on this story is evident. It still suffers some of the weaknesses of the prequel, but those can be ignored. The author will take much time to explain the twisty direction he's taken with the characters, particularly Sarah Connor. Readers need to be prepared in that Sarah Connor here has had a much much darker past and colors her parenting of John. Obsession by the different baddies takes the reader on very very disturbing roads, but the psychological exploration for the main characters is breathtaking. Ryan Connor, the author's OC, son of John and Cameron Connor feels so real that you can't help but root for him as he tries to fix his very broken and dysfunctional family across time and distance.

Fandom Category: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles/Serenity
Pairing: John Connor/Cameron Philips, River Tam
Title: Terminator: Searching for Serenity
Rating: T
Author: River2027
link: FFnet

Genre: Scifi/Drama
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read: Written by the same author that wrote Born to Fight (undoubtedly the best epic fanfic that espouses the closed time loop theory in the TSCC post Born to Run world), the story posits what if John and Cameron overshoot travel and end up in the Serenity universe? yes River and Cameron (and John) are connected and it's an enjoyable ride. Major changes happen to the Serenity storyline because these 2 showed up and it is mostly for the better.