SPN recs
There are almost 150 stories recommended in the following links. They’re arranged in tiers: first by season, for the benefit of the unspoiled, and then by genre.
I’m taking a minimalist approach to warnings, and here’s why: This is a fandom for a hard-hitting show. The canon itself is full of swearing, violence, and disturbing imagery. If a story goes truly above and beyond what you would see on TV, it’ll be noted in the summary, but otherwise the content in these recs is par for the course for the show. Additionally, nearly all authors include a header posted at the top of the story. If you find anything objectionable in those warnings, you can close out the window before you’ve gotten invested. I’ve just found that ratings tend to be mostly useless, especially given the potential to dismiss a fic simply because of one’s association with an arbitrary letter.
For new recs as they come in, feel free to keep an eye on my journal. That’s it! Enjoy!
If you don’t know where to start in Supernatural fanfiction, or if you’re only interested in a cursory look at the amazing range of genfic available, read these.
Vocabulary by innie_darling (pre-series)
Sam tries to define his place in the world. Beautiful, precise language that really establishes what an observer Sam is. There’s something about this story that has weight: it feels real, cut from whole cloth.
Negative Space by Hope (pre-series, John POV)
How Dean stayed in Athens, Ohio long enough to get to know Cassie. Again, this story has an impressive authority to it, in terms of owning its own universe. Watching Dean from his father’s perspective just makes you ache for him.
Phonemic Awareness by Edie (pre-series, wee!chesters)
The term wee!chesters may be cutesy, but this story is none of that. Fics about Dean before Sam was born are few and far between. This one is poignant and deft, and even before the tragedy, we see flashes of what will shape the Winchester boys in their lives as hunters.
No Such Thing As Unicorns by lacesforalady (casefic)
I like to tell people that Supernatural is American Gods: The Series (and if you’re not familiar with Neil Gaiman’s titan of a novel, hie thee hence and read it now). It’s a fandom with incredible opportunity to explore myths — like this story does.
Desperately In Need of a Hobby by Trollprincess (humor)
This fandom is also an opportunity for some gut-bustingly funny scenarios. Even if you’ve never participated in NaNoWriMo, you’ll recognize the drive and the mania — it’s a strangely fitting pastime for a Winchester, this.
Dust in the Wind by lyra_wing (AU, American Gods crossover)
And again, Supernatural lends itself to brilliant what if stories. This was written before the end of Season 2, but it’s a beautifully realized summation of what makes the boys, and what they belong to.
Cold Case by Vehemently (post-S2 finale)
Still, with all the possibilities, there’s always that one really good fic that feels like it just grew out of the canon, or that seems like the writers could have implied it, out of the corner of the show’s eye. A wonderful exercise in continuity.
Physiologus by Imogen (AU)
It’s more than possible to do an AU with a very light touch, and this story poses a marvelous question: what if Sam had been interested in biology rather than law? The way his life changes and doesn’t change is deftly handled—and Sam isn’t the only one with different talents.
Occupational Hazards by Riona (RPF crossover; spoilers for Season 3)
If there’s one thing fandom loves, it’s inter- and metatextuality. There are plenty of stories in which either the actors or the boys finds themselves in the wrong universe; this one makes it both a fantastically satirical look at writers and a character study with plot. Hilarious and heartbreaking, but mostly very funny.
with strides growing ever longer (instrumental #2) by Pyrebi (spoilers through Season 3)
Style and form are just as important to a story as character and plot, and can make just as much of a statement. This is simply a series of declarative sentences about Dean, but the sum of its parts makes for an incredible portrait of a complete, complicated human being.
They Put Me In A Cage Full of Lions by onceuponatown (pre-series, wee!chesters)
This is the best story written in the Supernatural fandom. I’m not joking. This is Dean Winchester as written by William Faulkner. I could not stop thinking about this story for days after it was published. Eric Kripke talks about how Dean is “so screwed up and damaged, to be the person who always jumps first off a cliff.” This shows it, and why. Desperate, savage, beautiful, unyielding, broken, hopeful, agonized, honest — there is no set of adjectives capable of conveying how perfect this story is. If you ever had doubts that fandom could produce Literature, this will put that to rest.