I remember a while back some authors and readers- myself included- wondering about creating 'recommended' listings on the site. This got me to looking, and I couldn't seem to find any form of 'top ten' listing in any of the forum topics.
So, what are the top ten TG stories you find yourself reading over and over and over?
I tend to prefer serials, so my top ten are, in really no particular order:
1. Jenny Walker's No Half Measures
2. Maddy Bell's Gaby
3. Ellen Haye's Tuck
4. Sarah Bayen's G11- Mistaken Identity
5. Miss Jessica's Bridesmaid
6. JustMe's Leeway (though still fresh, it's growing on me)
7. Angharad's Gaby fanfics
8. Bob Arnold's Zapped!
9. Rebecca DeMere's Eight Dragons series
10. Karen Page's A New Style of Education
This list is by no means complete, as I have a number of stories that inspire me, and I read them often. At the moment, however, these are the ones that I am rereading the most, and that I seem to connect with the characters the best in. Not only that, but I don't think even a top 100 list would hold all the authors whose work I enjoy!
My Top Ten
Please note that some of these stories are here, the other Big Closet sites, or elsewhere. This is in no order and defiantly incomplete.
1. The Female of the Species by Scott Ramsey
2. The Former Boys Club by the Professor
3. Side Effects and Complications by Julie
4. My Cherrie Amour by Angela Rash
5. Girl for a Spell by Ellie Daubler
6. For a Girl by O2Bxx
7. Diety Arms: Bridget by Barbie Lee
8. Replacement Bride by Pyrite (Paul 1964)
9. Altered Faits: The Fall to Grace by Julie
10. GS: Looking Out for Number One by Bashful
Note if you read theses have tissues handy.
I HATE with a passon serials. You could call me a cereal killer.
Shelly aka shalimar
List of Stories
These are not in any particular order:
Mister - Dimelza Cassidy
Kelly Girl - Wanda Cunningham
Thirty Million Reasons - Erin (unfinished)
No Half Measures - Jenny Walker (I like Chasing Hope better, but it isn't posted on BC - held for sale -- you should buy it)
The Wardrobe - Heather Rose Brown
Like A Candle in the Wind - L. Satori (the best of many great stories by her)
Gaby - Maddy Bell (especially the early stories)
The Long Road Home - Randalynn
Shannon's Course - by me (blush - if I were capable of it)
The body of work by JulieO, Angel, Gwen Lavyril, Nom de Plume, Vickie Tern and anything edited by Amelia R (especially Peaches which she co-wrote with me)
I'm sure I left out many other favorites, but a list like this is meant to inspire people to read old stories, which is always a good idea. When you do read them, leave a comment. There's nothing quite as sweet as a comment received on an old story.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Top Ten
It's too hard to narrow the list down to ten legitimate stories or series, but what immediately comes to mind:
These five I've read more than once, and sometimes twice:
Under the Moons of Eden - Christopher Leeson (The second TG story I ever read and still the Gold Standard for TG sci-fi.)
The Big Switch - Christopher Leeson (Just wonderful, fun writing. Romantic and with an edge.)
Noel - Christopher Leeson (Deep and superbly crafted)
The Andersonville Series - Kelly Davidson (It has its flaws, but not many. I re-read this years after I first read it and was astonished at its complexity and power.)
Adventures of the Starship Hornblower - Bad Irving and Maggie Finson (hilarious and inventive)
And a bunch of others, too many to do anyone justice, and also, what comes immediately to mind:
No Half Measures - Jenny Walker (Overall, a superb work.)
Strange Happenings in Ragnarok County - Grover (I love this story. It's what Falkner might have written if he had a sense of humor. A real gem.)
No Longer a Partridge - Alice Dee (A love story between Danny Partridge and Reuben. Wonderfully written, hilarious and completely irreverent, by an exceptional author no one ever heard of.)
Collateral Damage - The Professor (Probably the best of his standalone stories in his alternate Earth series where magic is a force that stands alongside science. I remember this one for some reason.)
Between Two Fires - Kaia (This is representative of the really good stuff that gets overlooked. I doubt that it will ever be called a "classic," but I remember it as an experience I was glad to have.)
I don't know how to rate these things. I prefer sci-fi and some fantasy with a complete switch MtF with adults, so my list reflected that, although I will read other types of fiction and enjoy a well-written tale with a decent plot and characters I can relate to.
As a side-note, there has been some discussion that TG fiction has gone downhill, and that this latest group of writers can't match up to the "Old School" writers. I think that's complete garbage. There's an astonishing wealth of talent that's come along in the last few years that is better than the old-timers. Writers on FM such as Armond, Aladdin, Alice Dee (and I'm just covering the A's that I remember off the top of my head), are superb. Here, also, there's a long list of excellent, eclectic authors, and you know who you are, *grins* who match up well to anyone.
Aardvark
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."
Mahatma Gandhi
Top Ten
Usually I like action and adventure, but anything well written sparks my interest. Here's mine:
Anything by Bek D. Corbin (hands down my favourite author) but especially
1) The Wicked Flee (I wanna be an Erinyes!)
and
2) Foxglove
Ellen Hayes' enormous saga, up to 128 chapters so far (we love you Ellen!)
3) Tuck
Rachel Greenham proves that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as well as being a brilliant story in it's own right, with
4) Tuck Squared and it's sequels
It hasn't had a new chapter in a year, but Amy Lewis has assured one soon of the complexly interwoven
5) Serial Mirage
The first TG story I ever read that did romance without being, um, 'gratuitous', is Jenny Walker's sweet and endearing
6) No Half Measures
I actually started reading this one and finished it in the same day, it was just that good! Lisa Caitlin Grey's spacefaring adventure
7) The Serendipity of Freedom
Wanda Cunningham has written lots of really great stories, but I have to admit that my favourite of her's is
8) The Fairy King
How could you not love Allydally? Jan S. uses her original and innovative style to bring life to the amazingly supportive characters in
9) Scenes From a Kid's Life
And lastly but not leastly, the medieval epic by Hypatia
10) A Fistful of Dragons (Dragons and Dwarves and Elves, oh my!)
So yeah, that would be my top ten. I have to agree with the others though, it was hard to choose which would be included because there are just so many stories that I love!
Kate
Lists
I'm going to set up a way to record these lists and maybe use them to do a set of awards or something. Hall of Fame. Whatever.
Oh, and I'm going to name just four stories, the ones that got me into reading and writing TG fiction.
In the order in which I read them (I think)
Me and Bobby McGee by Christopher Leeson
Noel by Christopher Leeson
JayCee by Vickie Tern
Tuck by Ellen Hayes
Those four convinced me that TG fiction could be an artform. I've read stories since then that are comparable but those four were the first. See, I had been reading and writing erotic fiction for years, some of it good. But most of it about as memorable as another TV game show.
Then these four knocked my socks off and I realized that a subset of TG fiction had literary values to compare with established genres like Mystery and SF. So I had to try writing one. I wrote "Mercedes" which I thought was pretty good and was well received on Usenet and later, Fictionmania. Shortly after that, I ended up hosting BigCloset on my NaughtyWords server. NW is moribund but BC is still around. :)
And I'm still amazed at how much good stuff comes out of what looks like a very narrow genre.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
First stories
My first story is included in my list as well: G11: Mistaken Identity. I found Crystal's one day while doing research on myself, and waddaya know? Boom, I was hooked. Unfortunately for me, the next story I tried was a Gingerfred Man tale- needless to say, I quickly came into the realization that not ALL stories were me-friendly.
Melanie E.
Top Ten Lists
I have always loved reading other peoples ‘top 10’ lists, be it in music, books or films I feel it reveals a lot about an individual,.
And I have always believed it would be a rich seam of study for psychologists.
Indeed, I recently came across a list I compiled some ten years ago, and swapped with a friend.
Whilst half are still valid and remain firm favourites the other half made me wonder what on earth I was thinking.
For, quite naturally, as we mature our experience, perceptions and attitudes change our outlook on life.
Whilst I am an avid reader who grew up reading ‘Famous Five’ or Worzel Gummidge, I also soon realised, alas, I could not write a story to save my life.
So to this day, I remain in awe of those who can.
Anyway, I feel my list is valid for me and whilst it includes a few ‘usual suspects’ hopefully there may be one or two you could be tempted to seek out.
So, in no order at all:
Modern Masquerade – Tanya J Allen
No Half Measures- Jenny Walker
Educating Danielle – Karen E Lea
College Bound – Samantha Michelle
Gaby – Maddy Bell
Scholarship – Julie O
Out of the Woods, a Jordan winters Adventure – Bek D Corbin
A new Style of Education – Karen Page
Fated for Femininity – Unknown ( a Chevalier Publication, from the 1960’s ?
First Lady – Dee Raymond Transvestia 107 & 108
These last two may be unfair, as they are very difficult to find but well worth seeking out.
Love
Anne Galliver
a friend asked
and as it dovetailed with this I thought I'd toss it up here too.
Most of these are slightly older stories that I discovered over the last 2 years that led to much reading and ultimately some writing and general ravings. Many great recent stories will not figure here for that reason. It is a subjective list that might and probably would change over time, but... Many others would sit closely.
(ignore the order... oh, I double up in a couple of places and they tend to the longish)
1. No Half Measures - Jenny Walker
2. The Scholarship - Julie O
3. Whatever Your Heart Desires - Cherysse St Claire
4. Contract Modifications/ Soulmates - Tigger
5. Executive Assistant - Jackie Pett
6. Wild Horses - Rebecca Anderson
7. Double Take - Nom de Plume
8. Peaches - Angela Rasch
9. Catherine Lawrence / Elizabeth Grey - Carmenica Diaz
10. The Candy Cane club - Tanya Allan
Many of these are here and at FM a couple only on Crytsals
Kristina
THIS IS GREAT STUFF!
Any new recommendations?
The Standard Top Ten: An Update
Even since I initially posted my original list, my tastes have changed a bit, and I've read a lot of great stories that I wasn't aware of at the time. So, to jump start it if anybody else is still interested, here's my updated Top Ten. Keep in mind that this isn't necessarily in a "best to worst" order, it's just the order I thought of them in.
First of all, the ones that are repeated from the old list:
1. No Half Measures - Jenny Walker (which seems to be fairly well agreed upon as one of the best, looking back over the lists above.)
2. Tuck - Ellen Hayes
3. Gaby - Maddy Bell (I love Maddy's work, and the story is great even if she really needs a better editor/proofer)
4. G11: Mistaken Identity - Sarah Bayen (does anybody know if she's still writing? Sarah Lynn Morgan, I'm looking at you! :P)
5. Drew Goes South Trilogy - Angharad (WHICH I would very much like to see continued at some point, if Bonzi will let her give Bike a rest)
And now, the new ones that I've either discovered since the original list, or have grown to love more since and prefer over the older entries.
6. Heaven and Hell - Maggie Finson, Bek D. Corbin, E.E. Nalley (amazing, if a bit on the erotic side for my tastes. Still, I find myself returning to this series again and again if for no other reason than the great mythos around it. More, please?)
7. I'm With the Band - Melanie Brown
8. Grey - Nist Shadow (my absolute favorite story in the MORFs series, which is saying something considering the generally high quality that Brittney seems to hold most of her canon authors to. Nevertheless, this is the best of the best)
9. Blue Moon - Donna Lamb (A fairly recent find for me, but an amazing story)
10. Letters from Sky - Jan S (This story will break your heart when you read it, guaranteed)
Lastly, here are the honorable mentions that didn't quite make the top ten, and my reasons why.
8 Dragons Trilogy - Rebekkah DeMere -- I still enjoy this series, but I had to take it out of my top ten for a couple of different reasons. Not only is it doubtful that it will ever be finished, and it desperately needs to be, but even short of that there are a lot of confusing parts throughout the story, as well as weird presentation choices or jarring inconsistencies that, while I could overlook them at the time, prevent it from standing up to what I feel are my current required standards for a "top ten" story. Any one of these problems could be easily overlooked, but they add up to severely hinder my ability to reread the story any more. Available at Sapphire's and at Bev's Balcony.
The Frozen Balance - Persephone -- This story definitely belongs in someone's top ten: it's got action, romance, and a decent bit of development in the fantasy world around it. However, as much as I enjoy it, at times the dialogue feels a little dry to me, and the ending of the story is slightly off-putting to my tastes. In addition to that, I found the presentation of the magic in the series to be odd, and I have a hard time reconciling that with my own preferences. Available here at BC.
The Reluctant Series - Melanie Brown -- I love Melanie Brown's work, but I was trying to keep from using more than one story or work from any author in my top ten list. I consider "I'm With the Band" to be the better story of the two, so it took a place on the list while this series was relegated to the Honorable Mentions. That's no reason to pass it up, though. Available here at BC and at Sapphire's.
Queen Rider - Joanne Foxcourt -- This story is what actually inspired me to pick up and start reading Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, and after reading a handful of those books this story impresses me all the more. It fits well within the universe, and Joanne is a talented writer - however, this is another story that is highly unlikely to ever be finished, and while there are a handful of other works in the list already that it could be said will never be finished, Queen Rider's cutoff point is a bit too quick for me to feel that it has the meat to fit. Read this if you like fantasy or Mrs. McCaffrey's books, but be warned that when the end comes you'll be left begging for more. Available here at BC.
Lady Lightning/ Jordan Winters - Bek D. Corbin -- Bek D. Corbin is an amazing writer (He? She? I've never been able to tell which one they identified with) but it's unlikely that either one will ever be finished. Bek is also one of the founding authors of the Whateley Academy series, and while everything written by this person is good, Bek seems to start far more projects than will ever be finished, leaving readers high and dry partway through an engrossing story. If either one of these series ever continues, and I ever take Heaven and Hell out, then they will probably moved up and into the list, but until then they'll remain a side note. Available on Sapphire's.
Maiden by Decree - Maggie Finson -- Alright, by this point it's pretty obvious that I like fantasy. Well, let me say, that Maiden by Decree is one of the best stories in the genre on Big Closet. I had to make a choice, though, between this series and Heaven and Hell, and in the end Bek's and E.E. Nalley's additions to the mythos in Heaven and Hell were enough to push it to the top. Since Maggie's the primary authoress of the Heaven and Hell series, and I've already said I was trying not to put one author on the list more than twice, Maiden by Decree made honorable mention. Given that, I think that everyone who's read the series can safely say that Deidre is one of the more entertaining characters on BC. Available at The Crystal Hall and here at BC.
Whateley Academy - Various -- Okay, now this is a tough one. Almost all of the canon stories in the Whateley universe are a lot of fun and great reads, but when combined they make one of the best unified multi-authored series I've ever read. However, as much as I love the series, a few problems with holes in the timeline have arose as the authors have tried to write around one another's schedules, and the entire series is a good two years or more I believe behind where the authors were wanting it to be at this point. Besides that, each individual character's story alone is too riddled with holes to stand on the list alone, and without a really clear timeline of what order to read the stories in, it can be confusing to figure out what happens when. Still, if you like mutants, Lovecraft, and high school drama, the series is worth checking out. Parts of it are available here, on Sapphire's, and everything can be found at The Crystal Hall, including fanfics.
And, as a final bonus, one more top ten list: Top Authors. These are people whose work as a whole you should check out. Not all of my favorites are on here, but these are the ones who have both a consistent track record of updates and/or a large body of high quality stories.
1. Maggie Finson
2. Angela Rasch
3. Lillith Langtree (where's she been for the last coupla months?)
4. Angharad (BC's most prolific authoress, and wouldn't you know it her stories are actually GOOD too!)
5. Kaleigh Way (she's back, yay!)
6. Alys (another missing person, hmm...)
7. Arecee (If you haven't read "Show Me the Money," I recommend you do. Not top ten, sorry Arecee, but definitely a favorite.)
8. Brandy DeWinter (a bit of a guilty pleasure, since she does a lot of bondage and other fetish type stories, but her quality is good and she does well in steering clear of the darker side of the fetishes, probably the only reason I can read her work.)
9. Julie O. (You gotta be careful and pay attention to the tags and summaries on her work, but her writing is undeniably good.)
10. Jennifer Brock (consistent quality, interesting plots, and fine characters.)
Well, I think that's it for now. That enough recommendations?
Melanie E.
OUCH! Great selection though Rasufelle!
I can agree with your choices and as you have said.
The real list would be the top 100 and maybe even more!
The Big Closet has grown and developed by leaps and bounds and has attracted a lot of very good authors since the Big Closet Classic days. (That's as far back as I go at this site)
Many good and great authors can thank Erin for giving them their start here and I'm one of those. Well, maybe not all that good and definitely not great, but I have gotten a lot better since my first story! Anyway, a lot of us got our start here with the encouragement of those readers and fellow authors that care. More people care here than an any other TG Archive site, I can tell you that!
Huggles Rasufelle
Angel
"Be Your-Self, So Easy to Say, So Hard to Live!"
"Be Your-Self, So Easy to Say, So Hard to Live!"
Top Ten
My current top ten includes a few ongoing stories but on the evidence of the episodes posted so far I'd say they have potential to be in an all time top ten once complete (no pressure on the authors there...). In no particular order my top ten is:
1. The Reluctant Series - Melanie Brown - The first tg fiction I read that made me want to finish reading it (up until this story I'd never liked a tg story enough to read a whole episode).
2. Once the Hero - Grover - I know its still all new and shiney and on-going but it caused me to want to join Stardust and here to comment on a story. Also I'm a superhero nerd. Which nicely leads to no. 3...
3. The Centre - Lillith Langtree - Also still on-going but well worth the read. It contrasts very nicely with OTH in showing how two writers have approached the superhuman concept in completely different ways.
4. Jordon Winters Adventures - Bek D Corbin - Possibly, just possibly, my all time favourite. I loved 'Of Masks and Marvels' but the world of Jordon Winters really hooked me in its variation of stories. The 'out of the woods' story in particular stands out. (Sapphires Place)
5. Tales of the Eerie Saloon - Christopher Leeson / Ellie Dauber - 'The Toy Soldier' had me in floods of tears.
6. Frozen Balance - Persephone - Take a mainstream fantasy story mix it with a tg story and get a result in which both elements blend together well without either diminishing the other.
7. Princess and the Plague / Camp K - Anistasia Allread - Probably worry more about the Erika character more than any other! A real rollercoaster of emotion at times.
8. Skin Deep Series - Mark McDonald - While not my usual choice of story I immensely enjoyed the character interactions and some of the questions it raises about identity. I'd probably single out the second story ('The Dance') as my favourite. (Beverley's Balcony)
9. Dear John - Rasufelle - This story touched all of my sweet and sentimental buttons. Lots of happy tears!
10. First Among Fools - Renae - I also liked 'After the Ashes' but this one just beat it. It's not complete but its good enough on its own even incomplete. (Whateley Academy library)
If I were to remove the non-BC three, I'm not sure exactly what would replace them but 'Maiden by Decree' would be a strong contender if the one story per author rule were kept (and yes, I stretched that a little with 3,5 & 8!).
Edit: A quick tidy up and expansion of the post.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."