A new fandom (to the comm at least) in honor of the new year and all our lovely new reccers ^_^

Title: The Better Gadget Affair
Author: Lady Ra
Fandom: Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Categories: pre-series, romance, humor
Length: long
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: ladyra 
Website: Visions of Pretty Boys Doing Naughty Things

Author's Summary: Where did Napoleon get all those great gadgets from?

Review:
A bit of background for those of you unfamiliar with the show: MFU, a spy TV show from the 60s, is actually one of the older fandoms around, and though a good chunk of the activity was in zines and predated the internet, there is still a fairly robust number of good stories available online. The main characters are partners at a secret international law-enforcement agency: suave, extroverted Napoleon Solo and taciturn, intellectual Illya Kuryakin (interestingly, the latter was originally a walk-on but proved so popular that he eventually reached costar status).

The Better Gadget Affair is a slightly AU-ed version of how Napoleon and Illya met and became partners. It’s lighthearted in tone without degenerating to farce, something the show itself had trouble with especially in later seasons, and it’s a great read, especially for a newcomer to the fandom, with a little bit of everything. A dash of believable espionage, a comfortable friendship between Napoleon and Illya, sex (mirror!sex even), a deft handling of Illya being Russian in the U.S. during the Cold War, and of course, those nifty spy gadgets.

Yes, I admit, it’s one of those stories I’ve read more times than I like to admit. Go read it yourself! ^_^

The Better Gadget Affair