Fanfic rec - Sparkgate: Agatha and the Grasp of the Serpent God

If you're a fan of the web comic Girl Genius you'll probably want to read this...

Sparkgate: Agatha and the Grasp of the Serpent God by Samarkand

Summary: There are nigh infinite variant timelines surrounding that of the Stargate universe we know. Most turn out badly as one choice or another dooms Earth. One, however, is unusual in that a chance refugee from another branch of Earth's many alternate universes provides some...unexpected effects. There may be maniacal cackling. There probably will be tesla coils. There most certainly will be elegantly crafted death rays. Discover what happens when the Milky Way Galaxy discovers what the Spark of mad genius can do. Steampunk and science fiction collide in...SPARKGATE! FOR SCIENCE!

http://www.hugosnebula.com/sgxover/viewstory.php?sid=375

Warning, it's a work in progress.

The Good, The Bad, The Weird revisited

I nearly forgot to review The Good, The Bad, The Weird - this is fracking amazing, from the first gun battle on a train to the final shootout at the end. Lots of homage to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, of course, and a ridiculously high body count. It's got deadly assassins, treasure maps, opium dens, banditos with machine guns, and the Imperial Japanese Army. The three main protagonists have the usual ridiculous luck you see in this sort of film, of course - surviving multiple machine gun attacks, artillery, etc. - but if you can maintain suspension of disbelief it's as good as any other spaghetti western, and the novel settings and era add a lot of interest.

REALLY recommended.