Title: The Identical Series
Author: Lanning Cook
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Categories: angst, drama
Length: epic
Warnings: mentions of off-screen torture and (briefly) incest
Author on LJ: n/a?
Author Website: Lanning Cook's Fiction

Review:
If you're the sort of reader who marathons a story in one sitting, make sure you've set aside a significant amount of time before you go any further. Lanning Cook's Identical series is a massive undertaking - all the stories together come to almost 3000K! The time invested in the story, however, is well worth it.

Essentially, Lionel decides that Lex is no longer a worthy heir and replaces him with a clone (I know that sounds ridiculous, but remember, this is Smallville). Lex manages to escape Lionel's clutches and the Kents end up taking him in. What follows is an epic that covers the deepening of Clark's and Lex's relationship and their struggle to defeat Lionel's and the clone's machinations. The loveliest part of the story is, in my opinion, the characterization of the ensemble. Lex is decidedly more vulnerable than normal - cut off from his money, name, and own identity and virtually dependent on the Kents' aid - but throughout the story he works to be a good man. It isn't easy for him and it is a conscious decision that he makes and strives to live up to. The Kents are also focused on as they maneuver their way through the Luthors' world and gradually bring Lex into the family. By the end, Jonathon is even referring to Clark and Lex as his sons - and it's believable!

I could go on - there's plenty of material to praise, after all - but instead I think you should all go start reading.

The first story is here: Divergence
The series is on the left-hand side of her website here: Lanning Cook's Fiction