1: Rebecca Danced by EzzyB An unashamed weepy type romance, coming of age type story. As one of the reviewers on SoL puts it, bring the Kleenex, and the insulin! Part one of a trilogy.
2: Anita's Rescue by EzzyB Part two of EzzyB's Chaos Trilogy, Kleenex and insulin still required!
3: State of Chaos by EzzyB Part three of EzzyB's Chaos trilogy, you still need the Kleenex and the insulin!
4: Snatched by cmsix Vintage cmsix, a playful romp through prehistory.
5: Mother Is Watching You by Howard Faxon This is one of Howard's better stories, and if he really is working without the safety net of an editor or proofreader, then he does remarkably well.
Why is it one of my favourites? Because I too have a reverence for the Mother Goddess, and if some of the authors on here can proselytise Christianity, why shouldn't the Pagans have a go too?
6: The Private by Random Writings Every now and then you come across a story that is an outstanding example of it's genre, and this is one such. The fact that it bears more than a passing resemblance to 'Robert E Heinlein's' Starship Trooper doesn't detract from its appeal.
7: Guardian Angel by DeYaKen Whenever I see a story with 'cheat' in the codes, I generally give it a miss. This one is different, yes, the injured parties do get their own back, but this story has a subtle twist that takes it to a whole new level!
8: Cousin by Professor James BDSM is normally one of my 'squicks', I don't know how I overcame it to read this story, but I'm glad I did! So glad, in fact, I'd like to recommend it to everyone else.
This story's unique, it's a BDSM love story!
9: Privateer by DaRat This is a really great story, with a well thought out plot, and a believable universe. Although it could do with a bit of editing/proofreading, that doesn't detract from a tale of derring-do in the far future. This is Sci-Fi pulp fiction at it's very best!
10: Mistrusting a Memory by Lubrican Bob Lubrican is one of the best, and most prolific writers on SoL. Amongst all his work, Mistrusting a Memory, stands at the pinnacle, and not only is it my favourite story, it's his too, so he tells me. You couldn't read a better story if you bought it from the best-seller shelf at WH Smith!
Highly recommended!
11: Thunder and Lightening by Lazlo Zalezac Lazlo Zalezac is the master of the feelgood story, and this is one of his best! OK, so the route to happiness is a little convoluted, but there's always a lesson to be learned along the way.
12: Finding Shelter by Jay Cantrell Finding Shelter is unashamedly a romance, but it's so much more too. It has great characters, and a healthy dose of the philosophy of child rearing, so a must read for the parent(s) of burgeoning teenagers. Add to all that standards of behaviour that are close to my heart, and it's a story not to be missed. Sadly, the editing of the work could do with considerable tightening, but you can't have everything can you.
13: The Hermit of Scarecrow Valley by Lubrican Yes, another Lubrican story, but that's hardly surprising, he's so prolific. Not only that, he's so good, and this is one of his best. As always with Lubrican, they meet, they fuck, they get pregnant, the basic Lubrican plot. but there's so much more to this story, with some pretty strong messages under the froth. Bob is in the top 10% of authors on SoL, and this is in the top 10% of Bob's stories.
14: Synergy by colt45 I would have written a glowing revue for this story, but it already had two! Funny, great plot, plenty of sex, erotic rather than pornographic, and well written into the bargain. The editing could do with a bit of tightening up, but it doesn't spoil the story. If you don't read any other story from this list, you should read this one. You'll be glad you did!
15: Emulator by Howard Faxon Anti-establishment, anti-religion, hard-core Sci-Fi, and a great story, who could ask for more? I think Howard could have expanded this story to novel length with no diminution of the quality, but we have what we've got, though a bit better editing would help. If you like Sci-Fi, you'll love this! Enjoy!
16: Cattail by Wes Boyd Wes Boyd is famous for his excellent series, including the Spearfish Lake/Dawnwalker series. Cattail though, is a one off, but definitely up to his usual standards. This story appeals to me because there are areas where I can relate to the main protagonist; "been there, done that, worn the tee-shirt," when I was middle-aged and single again. Almost in parallel with this story is Winter Layoff, which is another excellent read, and can be found at http://www.spearfishlaketales.com/28wl/wl.htm. Read them both, they're both excellent stories, and not to be missed.
17: Triptych by aroslav 'If a picture paints a thousand words ...', a phrase from a 70's hit from Bread; aroslav turns that on its head, and uses thousands of words to paint a picture. Almost lyrical at times, this long story grips the reader, and holds him/her until the end. The sex, and there's quite a lot of it, is erotic rather than pornographic. This is a long story, but worth every second it takes to read. It's best if you read Model Student first, but whatever you do, read Triptych!
18: Next Sunday by Parthenogenesis I'm not that fond of short stories, but this is a classic! Instead of love, or sex, it revolves around trust, the core of any relationship. There is sex in there, but it's a mature, gentle sex, and Parthenogenesis leaves you knowing that love will follow. A moving, and uplifting story.
19: Australian Story by Oz Ozzie This has to be one of the best stories on SoL. Emotionally engaging, uplifting, and a damned good read! If you don't read it, you're missing out on one of the best stories I've ever read.
20: Getting By by Shakes Peer2B The ultimate post apocalyptic story, and not to be missed. A totally gripping tale!
21: Honkytonk Hero by Joe J This is a story of love and redemption. Admittedly, it's against a background of redneck Texan lifestyles, but it's amazing how their Baptist beliefs can accommodate plural marriage. Whatever, it's an excellent story you'd be silly to miss.
22: Hardtimes by Lazlo Zalezac OK, so it's another Lazlo Zalezac story in my favourites lineup, considering the standards of Lazlo's work, I'm not ashamed of that!
Hardtimes is a heartwarming little story that puts the lie to the aphorism that 'good guys always finish last'; unapologetically mushy, a great story!
23: Banner Year by Shrink42 This story's very long, but well worth the effort of reading it. For fellow Brits, and for the Aussies amongst us, there is much about American football and basket ball, but not enough to make it boring. Even more so, no impenetrable statistics to numb the brain. All in all, an excellent story, worth reading more than once.
24: Gamer Goddess by Tx Tall Tales I'm an old fart, I don't understand on-line gaming, but that's not really what this story's about. Gamer Goddess is another story I nearly missed, but I'm glad I didn't; it's all about love, and justice against the lowest of the low, that most despicable of creatures, the rapist. A great plot, a satisfying ending, and eminently readable. Highly recommended!
25: Bernadette Love, at first sight by Suzie XX This is pure stroke! Better still, it's well written stroke! Stroke stories are not normally the sort of thing I enjoy, but this little lesbian story just seemed to tweak my pervert node, I loved it! It's a pretty good bet you will too!
26: The Rise of Jade Force by Lazlo Zalezac Lazlo Zalezac already appears several times in my favourites page, and with good reason! I've added this particular story, as it is the first in the Jade Force series. Apart from getting you to read this story, I hope it will persuade you to read all the rest (ten of them at the time of writing), though short, they're great stories! Don't miss them!
