Hurt and Comfort in Camelot (Merlin Fanfic)

Author: PenPatronus

FanFiction ID: 8759369

Status: Complete (49 Chapters)

My rating: 4 of 5

You guessed it: here we have a collection of hurt/comfort short stories set in the Merlin-verse. I’m not even going to attempt a summary proper, since the stories are unrelated for the most part, some even contradicting others in the collection. But basically, this is a miscellaneous group of short stories, drabbles, and a few multi-chapter fics (“Throw the Boar”! :D) focusing mostly on Merlin and Arthur, but also including the knights, Gwen, Gaius, and a few other canon characters. The flavor of the stories is generally focused on hurt/comfort, but there’s a nice mix of really dark stuff (lots of angst and even a couple of deathfics–fair warning) mixed with some lighter bromantic, humorous pieces that are pretty cathartic. Also, there are several reveal fics included–again ranging from insanely dark to kind of amusing–and a good bit of whump (again, fair warning).

I love short stories, and I love Merlin . . . so what’s not to love about a collection such as Hurt and Comfort in Camelot? The stories were interesting, developing themes that I enjoy seeing in Merlin fanfiction while also presenting ideas in a different light and providing fresh, interesting scenarios. The writing itself was quite good–very readable with solid grammar and a pleasant style. The author’s understanding of the characters and portrayal of their relationships and personalities was spot on and fun to read, even when it broke my heart or made me cry . . . and there were times that it made me laugh as well. I liked that balance, even though the primary focus of the stories was generally a bit on the darker side. I would definitely recommend Hurt and Comfort in Camelot to Merlin fans just about across the board, but especially for those who enjoy hurt/comfort stories (obviously) with significant themes of angst, friendship, and bromance.

Note: You can find Hurt and Comfort in Camelot at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8759369/1/Hurt-and-Comfort-in-Camelot.

5 Comments

Filed under Media Review

5 responses to “Hurt and Comfort in Camelot (Merlin Fanfic)

  1. I was so happy when I saw your post! I’ll check this out!
    I recently (…or a year ago) discovered archiveofourown and then I discovered a bunch of other fanfic sites and now I think I read more fanfiction than I read “real” books…

    Because some people jut can’t let go 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    • I may be guilty of the same. . . . I’m trying to not totally spam my blog with just fanfic reviews, but it’s hard. I’ve pretty much just discovered fanfiction.net; are there any other sites you’d recommend?

      Liked by 1 person

      • 😀 Then again, maybe we should do that more. I mean how many people review fanfiction in their blogs? Or maybe I’m in the wrong circles… Not really. So far AO3 (archiveofourown) has been enough for me (and the search system rocks) I just change fandom if I’m really bored. I tried Wattpad at some point but I didn’t find anything I liked.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Ditto with watttpad. I’ll have to check out AO3, thanks! And whether I should or not, I’m probably going to post lots more fanfic reviews . . . My inner fangirl can’t resist. 😉 And you’re right; I’ve seen almost no one in my circle of bloggers who posts fanfic reviews. I’d love to read some, actually. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

        • I’m sure you’ll love AO3, it’s beta but basically if you register now, you get in in one or two days. Hahaha 😀 I need to let my inner fan girl out more often in fact. Exactly! I feel like it’s an big underground thing to find out which are good and which are not.

          Liked by 1 person

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