Pairing: Teyla Emmagen/John Sheppard
Fic Title: The New Frontier
Author:
harriet_spy Link: The New Frontier
Rating/Warning(s): Past major character deaths implied, violence, use of the Sergio Leone canon tropes
Genre: Angst AU Western
WIP?: Complete
Why This Must Be Read: Teyla never directly appears in this story but John and the reader are haunted by her throughout. This AU mystery/western begins when a child is intrigued by the mysterious stranger who rides into town six years after the end of the Wraith war and is persuaded to stay on a while and work on her father's farm. The author cleverly transplants the traditional western movie plot (the mysterious drifter coming into the small town, helping the townspeople stand up to the local villains before moving on again) into a Pegasus setting, subverting the conventions of the genre to highlight the alienness of the setting and how little John belongs. As John struggles with his past, the reader gradually realizes what has happened. The prose is beautiful and memorable with flashes of humor and tragedy, which is typical of this author. Her characterization of John, broken and grieving for who and what he has lost, rings true. Haunted by Teyla, he bonds with the girl, who reminds him a little of her. He teaches her how to bantos fight and brings some American-style/Teyla-inspired feminism into her life and she helps him heal a little.
