Original Fic Rec - A Dish Served Cold by Eurypon

[hpstrangelove]

So I don't normally rec stories - there are just too many good ones out there, and really, most people on my flist have found them before I have.

But this one just caught me.  I started reading it yesterday and couldn't quit until I finished it today.  It's around 80k words.

A Dish Served Cold, by eurypon 

Partial here: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2783664/1/A_Dish_Served_Cold

All 16 chapters here: http://www.ximerion.com/index.php/dish

Authors Summary: Andrew Ashton grows up in a world very similar to ours, but where slavery has been reintroduced. While trying to deal with growing up gay and looking for romance, the institution of slavery begins to intrude uncomfortably on his life.

I can't really begin to even describe the ups and downs in this story.  On the surface, it seems like a light-hearted coming-of-age of a privileged fourteen-year-old gay boy who has a crush on his straight best friend.  But once the reader is drawn in, things get more complicated, and darker.  The way slavery is a part of this society seems so logical and accepted, it's scary. It reminds me very much of the way the prison system is accepted as a part of society in Remastering Jerna (although I'll say right now, the plots of each story are no where similar at all).

I should have anticipated what was to come, but I just didn’t see it!  And the epilogue was such a perfect touch – JK could certainly learn a thing or two from from this author about writing one properly!  I don't want to say more because I don't want to spoil the story, but this is certainly one that will be on my mind for quite some time. Just be warned - there is sex with characters under the age of 17.

Comments

[zimena]

This sounds intriguing. Definitely goes in my bookmarks for when I have more reading time by the computer. It always seems a bit of a daunting task to start reading a really long fic, but once I get hooked, I might end up reading it quite fast, and much faster than I read a normal book.

Thanks for pointing this out.

[hpstrangelove.livejournal.com]

I think it's a story you'd like, given some of the things you write. It is difficult to stop reading once you start, although it seems slow to begin. It gives you a false sense of security.