Ten Sentinel Stories I'd Suggest Any Newbie Begin With:

1.True Minds by Lanning Cook (slash)

I just adore the way Lanning Cook writes the boys. They're so sweet (be warned--I can take a certain measure of sweetness in The Sentinel) together and the dialogue is amazing. This story is the first of a trilogy set right after the events in Sentinel Too. Blair is recovering after his near drowning and Jim may never be the same again. Each has fallen head over heels for the other, yet each is afraid of upsetting their hard won equalibrium. That's all forgotten, however, when they get plunged into a case that hits too close to home and puts both men in terrible danger. You'll see a rape warning tagged to this story. I urge you to forge ahead anyway. Things don't play out quite the way you think they might. Lanning Cook is superb.

2. Heavy Petting by Pares (slash)

For me, Pares and Lanning Cook are probably neck and neck when it comes to my favorite TS authors. Pares is hysterically funny. Her inner voices for Blair and Jim are unparalleled. She isn't one of those writers who has one particular story people point to as the story. For the most part, her stuff is short to mid-length (nothing longer than 61K). She has a wonderful series of stories that kicks off with Cold Sweat that I'd urge you to check out. This one is a stand-alone. Blair agrees to dog-sit for his friend Fitch (a recurring original character for Pares). Bert, the pooch in question, quickly gets on Jim's last nerve. But that's not all that has the sentinel grinding his teeth. Jim has suddenly realized his feelings for his guide are somewhat more than friendly. The trick, he finds, is not getting Sandburg into bed so much as finding out why Blair is willing to go in the first place. Much laughter, tenderness, and hot NC-17 action ensues.

3.Those Who Can by Sihaya Black (slash)

You may have noticed Sihaya pop up on my Pros list of authors. She writes in that fandom as well, but is more prolific and better known in TS. I'm guessing for most people, this is their introduction to her writing. It pops up on a ton of rec lists for very good reason. This is a wonderful first time, action/thriller, h/c epic that tops out at over 300K. Someone is after Jim for reasons the sentinel and his guide can only guess at. When Jim disappears, Blair goes after him, only to be captured himself. What follows is exciting, touching and sure to thrill any fan of h/c. Both boys get a workout. This is awesome, awesome stuff.

4. Distant Journey, Unknown Lands by Martha & Lemon Drop (slash)

Lemon Drop is the writer responsible for introducing me to The Sentinel. I followed her over from Stargate, where she writes as Quercus, never having seen an episode of TS (a situation that continued for a couple of years before SciFi finally rebroadcast the series). While each of these writers is brilliant on their own, this, their only collaboration, is really something special. It's deliciously long (nearly 600K) and set after The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg. Blair's life is in shambles. His career has been destroyed, his friends have deserted him, and Jim and he are so desperate to protect each other, they can barely communicate. The opportunity arises for Blair to spend the summer in Indiana, doing a bit of work tied to Burton at Notre Dame. A recuperating Jim tags along. They wind up house-sitting for a professor at a rambling old farmhouse located outside of town. What they don't initially realize is the place isn't exactly what it appears to be. This story offers readers gorgeous, atmospheric prose, angst, first time romance, rich emotion, and a touch of the supernatural. It's a fantastic journey you definitely don't want to miss.

5. Watermark by Tate (gen)

This list has been awfully slash heavy to this point. Time to rectify matters. I'm one of those TS fans who loved Sentinel Too, Part I for the way it shook up the boys' relationship, but was bitterly disappointed by the way things played out in Part II. Watermark is more the way I would have liked things to go. Blair isn't running off to Peru after his near drowning. He's been in a coma. Jim is so guiltstriken he can hardly stand to be in the same room with his gravely ill guide. So their friends have filled the void. Luckily, Blair wakes up, only to find he not only has to heal himself and his relationship with Jim, but face still more danger. I really like the way the guys interact here. It feels real to me and pretty close to canon. If you enjoy this story, there's a sequel, Wellspring, that takes a slightly different tack, but is equally good.

6. Judgments by K.Ryn (gen)

This is an excellent adventure, h/c story. Jim and Blair start off to take a simple vacation. Of course, everything soon goes terribly wrong. They're left instead battling for their lives, stranded in the Nevada desert with Jim blinded and Blair deaf as well as suffering from a gunshot wound he keeps from his blessed protector. There's a lot of action in this one and a reasonable measure of smarm. The bad guy is truly evil, and our boys are put through a lot. It's a really fun ride.

7. Twice Again by Ysone/Donna Gentry (gen)

If you spend enough time reading TS fic, sooner or later you'll run into Susan Foster's GDP alternate universe. Susan herself wrote 40 stories in it and she has graciously allowed other writers--slash and gen--to play in the universe as well. Ysone is one of them. In this world, sentinels are known and revered. Their skills are highly valued. However, their kind is scarce and, without a guide, they are doomed to madness. On the flip side, guides--for reasons whose historical beginnings no one can even remember--are seen as little more than parasites. Empathic and in need of shielding from strong emotions, they're viewed as weak and of little value, except for their ability to assist sentinels. Guides have virtually no rights and little freedom. They are usually identified as children, taken from their families and put into training. In the GDP universe, Blair is a guide who dodged that fate. His abilities didn't manifest until he was in college. There, he was able to link up with an underground movement that helped him hide what he was and escape his destiny, until one day he is caught and the nightmare begins. Susan's world is intricate with a cast of hundreds, huge emotions and a Blair who seemingly can't catch a break. I really enjoy her work, but prefer this take on the situation a bit more. It's subtler for one thing and the focus is more on Jim and Blair, rather than the crazy mixed-up world Susan's characters live in. In this story, Jim has been taking drugs to help him control his senses, but they're beginning to fail. His only choice is to find a guide to help him. However, he is unwilling, as he has already gone through the agony of one guide's death. Enter Blair, a W.O.L.F or failed guide, who has already lost one sentinel. He agrees to help Jim out for the short-term. Neither man expects a true friendship to grow, but it does. It's an interesting spin on how the boys got together, this time against all odds.

8. A Long Time Looking by Anna (slash)

Anna is one of The Sentinel's very best writers. Though I don't know that her version of the boys always fits with the version I have inside my head. Hers are very "adult," for want of a better word. They're both a little messed up in the head and Anna's stories don't always end happily. This story, however, works exceedingly well for me. Basically, Jim and Blair go on a date, as just friends at first. Then things change. Not a whole heck of a lot happens--just dinner, a movie and ice cream--but Anna beautifully captures the ebb and flow of the evening, and the way the guys interact. And I don't know that anyone writes hotter NC-17. It's wonderful stuff.

9. Beyond the End by Katrina Bowen (slash)

Unlike Pros, TS isn't particularly known for its AUs. There are a few good ones floating around, though. I've already mention Susan Foster's GDP universe. This world is quite different. Imagine that Jim and Blair met while Jim was stranded in Peru. As in canon, Blair is an anthropology graduate student. In this story, he and the man he was studying with are captured by the Direma, the people for whom Jim acts as guardian. The Direma are in the midst of a dispute with their neighbors and don't trust the newcomers. Fearing for the tribe's safety, its elders want to execute the two academics. Jim steps in and offers to take responsibility. The only way the Direma will allow this is if Jim "claims" Blair as his. This, of course, entails sex. This is a marvelous adventure/romance, featuring two lead characters who will be very recognizable to fans of canon. It's just that their paths cross at a different time. I love this one.

10. Kids Under Twelve Drink Free by Mallory Klohn (slash)

I recently described Mallory Klohn as "Rebelcat on crack" (which will mean something to those of you who read Pros and/or S&H fic). Mallory is a humor specialist, but like Rebel, she doesn't sacrifice character to make her readers laugh. It doesn't matter how absurd the situation might be, Jim and Blair act like Jim and Blair. This time the boys are in Vegas, staying at the Luxor, and Blair is playing the slots while Jim tries to figure out how and when he should make his move on the younger man. I would advise not giving this one a look-see in a public place, because there is no way you can read this without laughing out loud. And the sex is pretty hot too!

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