Title: The Elements Series by Lilith Sedai
Fandom: Star Wars
Pairing: Obi-Wan/Qui-Jon
Categories: AU, angst, action/adventure, bonding, Harlequin, hurt/comfort, possession, case-file
Length: Very Epic (~100,000 words)
Warnings: dub-con (of the 'force-energy made them do it' variety)

Author on LJ: n/a?
Website: n/a?

Review:
Yoda takes Obi-Wan as an apprentice when Qui-Jon refuses to do so. Thirteen years later, newly knighted Obi-Wan finds himself on a mission with the Jedi who rejected him as a youth. Action, angst, and bonding ensues.

This was the first Star Wars fic I ever read and might just be my favorite SW fic ever, not surprising as it manages to encompass bonding, undercover gay, undercover sex slave, *and* aliens force-energy made them do it. It's like someone took all of my favorite genres, rolled them up together with a hefty dose of angst and hurt/comfort and presented them to me with a bow on top.

Even better (and despite the frivolousness of the preceding paragraph), The Elements Series manages to rise above the typical cliches of each of the Harlequin-ish genres it utilizes: Obi-Wan and Qui-John do not fall in love because of the situations in which they find themselves in. Rather, they fall in love *despite* their circumstances, and the fallout from each situation takes time and patience to overcome. As popular as the '[fill in the blank] made them do it' genre is, it is also a euphemism for dub/non-con, and that fact is not glossed over in this fic. The undercover situations are also not played for humor or quick resolutions; rather they are practical plot and characterization developments that give them a gravitas that you almost never see in these genres (which, I have to admit, fills me with utter glee).

As for characterizations, Star Wars does not cater to the notion of the One True Character (as I can attest, having been unable to find any two stories by differing authors that characterize Obi-Wan and Qui-Jon the same way), so I judge SW characters on a story-by-story basis. The characters in this fic are fantastic, especially Yoda (who I never particularly liked until reading fanfic) and Qui-Jon (who is both repressed and an asshat, but who manages to grow a lot over the course of the series). The OCs are also extremely good, and I was highly impressed with the detailed worlds that Sedai created. It's rare that a fanfic can match the layered depths of world-building that is found in published novels, but she manages to make it look easy.

In the end, The Elements Series is a satisfying, well-written, and highly entertaining fic and is a great choice for anyone entering the Star Wars (Prequel Trilogy) fandom for the first time or anyone just looking for a layered and interesting adventure story.

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