Life on Mars/Fanfic Recs

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth waking up out of a coma for here.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Life On Mars fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

Do warn when a fanfic may head into Shipping or non-canon territory. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.

Authors and Websites

Fans Of Life On Mars by various.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: A collection of Life On Mars fic, from slash, to adventure, to romance, to whump.

Know your labels: White Cortina, safe. Green, okay. Blue, frisky. Brown, risky. Red, oh my dear lord!

• Tags: Warnings of Brown and Red can be for violence or sex, so keep an eye on the synopsis.

The Collator's Den.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Tags: All sorts of Life On Mars fic, as well as Ashes to Ashes.

Life On Mars Flashfiction.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Tags: A site where authors challenge each other to write various kinds of fic.

General Fics

Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.

Steady as she Goes by dakfinv.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: After an accidental shooting at the station, Gene struggles to keep his team from tearing themselves apart while his and Sam's friendship is pushed to the limits.
• Comments: The first part of this gen story was posted on July 7, 2007, and took nearly four months to finish. It is the first epic!fic ever completed in the LoM fandom. Dak, who has written extensively in the fandom, is still well known for this story and her particular brand of ruthless Sam!whumpage.
• Tags: dark fic, violence.

Ten Dozen Roses ^{[dead link]} by lm_jillybean.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: An alternate universe where Sam Tyler is the local crime boss. Told from Maya's point of view.
• Comments: Posted September 2006, this story was instrumental in opening up a certain kind of dark!fic in the fandom, in which the characters were the dark forces. It was the inspiration for at least three other stories.
• Tags: AU, dark fic, death (of sorts).

An Unhappy Man by dorsetgirl.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: One major conundrum of the final episode was how to introduce the idea of a "real" Sam Tyler in 1973, who was actually Sam Williams on an undercover assignment.
• Comments: This beautiful and moving story details how a 1973 Sam Williams would come to believe he really is Sam Tyler from the future. It stands as one of the few attempts in fandom to address the mystery of "Sam Williams".
• Tags: Spoilers for the first and second series, rated 'G' for all audiences.

The Just a note series, by Ferntree and Xiilnek.

• Recc'd by Belphegor.
• Synopsis: It's a "Fic art" series, which means a series of handwritten notes between Sam and Gene in different situations.
  • Just A Note: Sam thinks Gene is being irresponsible. Gene thinks Sam is being a twat. Business as usual, really.
  • A Slightly More Dramatic Note: At least they're not handcuffed to a radiator this time... But they're being held hostage in a bank.
  • More Dramatic Note Epilogue:...And the bit that comes after.
  • Tension Is A Passing Note, part 1 and part 2: Sam thinks they need to talk, if only because he's still fuzzy as to how exactly they got out of there alive.
• Comments: It alternates the hilarious and the quite touching, and the different handwritings (as well as various bits of paper, always true to the situation - Sam writes on a Bank of Greater Manchester cheque at one point!) keep it in character and believable. A great read.
• Tags: a bit of blood during the bank bit, and the average Gene Hunt amount of swears.

Shipping Fics

Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Riding Lesssons by basaltgrrl.

• Recc'd by peppermint flame
• Synopsis: Annie takes Sam for a country ride. Double entendre fully intended.
• Comments: On of the best Sam/Annie fics out there. Sweet, hot, sexy, and even occasionally funny. Must read for all Sam and Annie shippers, and a rare gem in a field that's mostly dominated by Sam/Gene.
• Tags: Sam/Annie, PG-15 for sex and language.
  • Unless you're a fan of gender swap stories, this technically isn't Sam/Annie. It's Sam pretending Annie is a guy. 'Nuff said.

Autogenesis Series by draycevixen.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: Drayce gives Gene Hunt's Cortina a personality and a name, and a plan of...action.
• Comments: A wonderful and popular example of what is actually rather rare in Lo M fanfiction: crack!fic.
• Tags: Crackfic, OC/everyone, slash, fem slash.

Flash of Light by by elfinessy.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: Early exploration of why and what Sam is doing in 1973.
• Comments:This writer was one of the early stand out authors of Lo M fic. Most of her work was done in the hiatus between season one and season two of the show, when wild speculation about the true nature of Sam Tyler's situation was all over the map. Her writing in general reflects the early tone of the fandom.
• Tags: Gene/Sam, violence.

Hookerverse by fiandyfic.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: Sam becomes a rent boy, working for Phyllis and Gene.
• Comments: The best (and perhaps only?) example of this kind of dark!fic AR taken to the extreme. Lo M is not a fandom known for A Us or hooker!fic, so this remains the exception to the rule and is very well written as well. Not for the faint of heart, but the series is a classic in the fandom.
• Tags: NC-17, Sam whump, violence, sexual violence, slash, het.

Looping by mikes_grrl.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: The author describes it as "time travelling, chaos-theory mind warping brain-crack angstiness". She also says, "It makes no sense on a good day."
• Comments: Multiple realities are a staple of many fandoms, but they're not that usual here. This series contains the best and most wide-ranging use of screwed-up time-travel ever seen in the Life on Mars fandom.
• Tags: Crack, slash, Sam/Gene, wibbly wobblly, timey wimey stuff.

One Life to Live by elfbert.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: Keep your fears to yourself and share your courage with others.
• Comments: An excellent example of the Ray/Chris pairing. Elfbert has championed Ray and Ray/Chris from the beginning, and her stories are popular in the fandom for bringing a textured and complex representation of Ray, who in the series is mostly seen as a foil for Sam Tyler.
• Tags: Ray/Chris with some Sam/Gene, slash.

Some Days Nothing Goes Right by evil_demandred.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: Gene loves Sam. It's a revelation he is far from comfortable with.
• Comments: Posted on August 20, 2007, this was one of the first significant dark!fic stories written in Lo M-UK fandom. A haunting and lyrical and disturbing work, it addressed several issues that most fanfic even now brush over, such as Gene's drinking and the homophobia of the era.
• Tags: Character death, slash, homophobia.

That Old Zen Paradox by halotolerant.

• Recc'd by peppermintflame
• Synopsis: If two policeman shag and no one hears them, does that mean it didn't happen?
• Comments: Possibly one of the finest and most well loved of all Sam/Gene stories ever written, this is considered a classic and it is often recced as a "must read" to anyone entering the fandom. Referred to a lot.
• Tags: Gene/Sam, fluff.