I only read a few authors in the fandom, but as far as recs go I try to list stories I find unique. These are mostly H/A, as that's what I read, but there is also some gen here and a couple of other pairings including Bush/Cotard.

Welcome to Purgatory by Penknife
I don't know what to say about this one. It's kind of haunting and poetic, a story about Clayton on Justinian, how he's in love with Archie yet guilt-ridden because he's too cowardly to do much about Simpson

Like a Bad Penny by Waldo (R)
This piece deals with the issue of Jack Simpson and the reason Horatio chose to challenge him. Unrealized love plays as big a part in Horatio's choice as pride and honor, and it's both touching and convincing to see Horatio want to protect a deserving *person* rather than just his romantic property. Horatio's humanity, his compassion, and his logic are every bit as poignant and in character as Archie's optimism and the grace with which he bears his pain. In that scope of realism, Waldo comes closer to the H/A canon love story than many writers do; the more honest yet unspoken, the more the romance bleeds through every word.

The Working Girl by Janis Cortese (NC-17)
Don't be put off by the het. This is a slash story from an outsider's POV. Set During the Duel, Archie shares a night with a prostitute named Emmy, and through her perceptiveness and compassion we see Archie as a strong man who is sexually confused and badly hurting. We see the damage that Horatio is far too inexperienced to heal. Through Archie's eyes, we see the rape, the humiliation, and the struggle to cut himself (and Horatio) off from sexual enjoyment. Rape is easier for him to understand than healthy sex with Horatio. Emmy is a delightfully intelligent character in her own right, and no romantic threat. She shows Archie that sex can be "nice" and then sends him back to "his friend with the curls". We can only hope that next time Horatio puts his hand down Archie's pants, he won't be so quick to push him away. Janis captures all of this with an honest realism - my favorite thing about her work is that she knows exactly when to be crude and when to be eloquent - and her grasp of period language is spectacular. This is definitely the kind of het the fandom needs.

Beyond Duty and Friendship and Lies by Jen (NC-17)
These stories should be tilted "Why Duel Sex Doesn't Work." I have enjoyed many a Duel story, yet I still can't actually get my head around Archie really wanting sex during that time. Ordinarily, I would say that any story where anal sex with Horatio Hornblower isn't the greatest thing ever deserves a mention, but these are excellent in their own right a bit more realistic. Poor Archie is repulsed by the sex, but does it anyway, too young and messed up to see that he's in love, and poor Horatio is such a typical teenage male here that you almost feel sorry for him.

December, 1793 by Maxi47
Three perspectives on Christmas at sea. This is a very pleasing yet poignant story of Pellew secretly lusting for Horatio, and Horatio and Archie pining for one another. Her grasp of the characters is excellent - Pellew is somewhat pitiful yet dignified and authoritative, Archie is miserable yet tough, and Horatio is lonely and feeling cut off from the others. This is a sad piece, yet not without hope.

Blaze by Janis Cortese (R)
This should be recc'd just for being a Ferrol story where Archie doesn't whine, but doesn't do that in any of her wonderful, fantabulous stories, so . . . After returning to prison, Horatio and Archie get stuck in a nasty Spanish storm while out and must find shelter for the night. We all know whether that leads. The writing and characterization are extraordinary here, the dialogue and descriptions. What strikes me is the way shy, repressed Horatio eroticises Archie, as though Archie's simple vitality - all his laughs and smiles - is erotic in itself. They're both so smitten with one another and she does this all without any real overt romance. It's excellent and feels so natural and true to the characters.

Unchanging by Cimmerianwillow
This piece is so pretty, and one of the few attempts at writing Horatio in the first person. She writes so well in the first person and has a talent for giving all her characters distinct voices. This is so short that I don't have much else to say about and will spare you all the ramble on how I adore her.

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man (NC-17) by Dala
During their first shore leave after prison, the boys don't do much but stay in bed. Archie decides to take up sketching naked Horatio and much cuteness ensues.

Décolleté (NC-17) by Cimmerianwillow
Any character as repressed as Horatio Hornblower needs to be put in drag, and that's exactly what happens here in a desperate attempt to escape a French city. The characterization is fabulous, pitting Archie's clever humor against Horatio's manly pride, and what results is a funny, sexy, and sometimes poignant romp leading to a sweet and quiet ending that reminds us how adorable and insecure the prudish Hornblower is deep down. To my knowledge, this is the first serious fic of its kind, and should become quite the fandom classic.

Masquerade by Clotho (PG-13)
I'm going to repeat the gush I put on her LJ. *wipes tears* Oh my god that was so beautiful I didn't think I was going to survive reading it. And so hot! DANCING!!! DANCING!!! MASKS!!!!!!!!!! I have the hugest mask fetish. All the writing, imagery and interaction are just breathtaking. It's all so vivid and *tangable* and wonderful. Definitely one of the best slash stories I've read. And your grasp of romance is both so real and spiritual I'm just amazed. I love Archie with the joy he radiates, and his cute bossiness and worldliness. And I loved Horatio, how you captured the man inside him - the true gentleness and goodness and adorable childishness, and his capacity to love and admire. And the last paragraph is the greatest, because I believe it's true. This is just marvelous. I think I'll die now. I seriously hope you consider more slash :) The tone of this piece is just remarkable and it's just so evocative there's no need for the sex to be graphic :)

Drawing (PG-13) by Elke Tanzer
Elke's first piece of Hornblower fic and what cuteness it is :) I'm making assumptions about the time frame here, but she can correct me. Another episode of boinking in a bed - I mean shore leave. Archie decides this time that he's going to "brand" Horatio with tea. Possessive little bugger. I have one huge complaint about this story. It ended ;)

Inamorata by Janis Cortese
This is my favorite story. I found it combing the internet for Archie/Wellard slash. This is the first story I read where an author managed to capture both Archie's butchness and his sensitivity, and where the focus wasn't on Horatio but on Archie as the complex, intelligent person he is on the show. Too many authors reduce him to Horry's boyfriend and spent all their time focussing on Horatio, whom I don't find nearly as interesting. In this story, Archie's got Wellard hero worship to deal with, and she does a great job of conveying how Renown relates to Justinian and how Archie's interaction with Wellard relates to his relationship with Horatio. I also love how the H/A romance is handled; it's very mature and restrained and makes them *dignified* historical homosexual males, and it all comes together in the hot ending scene.

After the Fall by William Chandler
This a poem from Archie's POV after the boy falls from the mast in Mutiny, and I think it's lovely :) It has blowjobs and buttsex, too :)

Two in the Bush (PG-13) by Cimmerianwillow
A little voyeurism, anyone? Bush stumbles upon Horatio and Archie making out and feels he is entitled to an explanation. This is Bush written very well in the first person, and his descriptions of Archie's mannerisms and personality just make me squee. Perhaps Bush is even crushing on him. It's a very unique Bush getting-to-understand Archie piece.

The Ides of March by Victoria Bitter
Not sure if I should rec this due to wankery associated with author, but she gets some high creativity points for this. She gets into Hammond's head while on his scapegoat hunt in Kingston and portrays him as not the most despicable man in the world and also as someone who comes to respect Archie.

The Falling Glass by Destina (R)
H/A DKU. I don't like DKU, but this one is so poetic I can't help reading it from time to time.

Honor thy Father by Nereus
Gen. As I remarked to the author, reading this story made me feel sympathy for Horatio in a way I never have before. And finally, a story where Archie doesn't have the screwed-up family! This is, as you can guess, a story about Horatio and his father. It's pretty close to how I see things, as I don't see Horatio having a normal/healthy home life at all.

Tandom by Inlovewightnight
A nice HH2 fic with good characterization of *both* characters. What really wins me over is how sweet and adorable her Horatio is - the sweet pre-HH3 Horatio is what I like to call the muffin!Horatio.

Relativity (NC-17) by Nicole D'annais
This is a Live Kennedy Universe story using elements and characters from the Secret Adventures of Jules Verne to resurrect and save Archie. If you haven't seen that show, don't let it detour you from reading. I have to say this is one of the most comforting fix-its around with the sheer escapism factor of a machine to bring someone back from the dead. After something as horrible as the end of Retribution, one could use a break from reality. What's also unique about this story is that it's a first time fic. The step from platonic to sexual relationship comes naturally, with lots of kissing and cuddles. The characters are portrayed exactly as we see them on screen, with Horatio fussy, protective, and adorably sweet, and Archie cynical, but perceptive and quick on the trigger. I only wish I had read this thing right after watching Retribution.

Half A Life and Zeno's paradox by Janis Cortese
I don't have the words to tell you why this must be read, only that it is so painful and erotic it simply must be. This is a fix-it that saves Archie by turning him into a vampire. The idea *had* to be done, and Janis does it - well; it's all the angst of dead!Archie with all the joy of live!Archie in one. However, there is one scene in this story that stands out in my mind, and it is a scene in which Archie's body is hanged. Horatio's memories during this scene, the sheer eroticism he finds in Archie's very vitality compared with the pain he feels for his death, are enough to leave me speechless every time. Few writers in this fandom can express the sheer livid erotic that Janis always brings to her work. I just never thought something so disturbing as a hanging could actually be made hot.

Luke 22:19 by Cimmerianwillow
It's true this was all my sick idea, and it's true that some people got their panties in a bunch over it, but it should be obvious from the tone of the story that it's a joke. You can't tell us that Archie wasn't warm and fluffy-looking at the end of the Retribution. Anyway, yet another way for Archie to survive that bullet. Had I written this, it would not have been a joke.

Unconditional Congress (NC-17) by Cimmerianwillow
Total HH3 revisionism, and it even features Maria and Kitty Cobham. Both the boys are lodging with Mrs. Mason and having sex of all varieties. I love this story. It makes me want to fidget in my chair and rip Horatio's clothes off. Seriously, how could you resist a story with a line like this: "Archie, that is insulting," Horatio replied, genuinely angry. "As though I would ever spit upon your sacrifice – or upon my own principles – for a bit of hard biscuit."

Sacrilege by Cimmerianwillow
We all know how Archie loves Shakespeare, so I'm sure I could entice you to read a fic in which the hot sex is ruined by Horry, uh, damaging Hamlet. I love the beginning of this story, too, with Horry getting his churn on and all comparing himself to his namesake in the play.

Comfort and Joy by Janis Cortese
The first of two geezer love stories I'm recc'ing. This is a christmas story set many years after the trial in Kingston. Archie's been long since pardoned and has retired as the scarred, tattooed, and mildly maimed Captain Kennedy, living with the cranky Admiral Lord Hornblower. He looks back on a somewhat turbulent relationship - Horatio being a book canon bastard and all - but in the end they're together and Horatio decides to make an honest man of him.

Beating to Windward by Atropos Lee
Not so much LKU as it is bookverse, in which Archie does not die. This is one of the first HH fics I ever read - before seeing Retribution - and it's staayed with me. Reading it now, knowing the canon, it ties me into knots. I firstly adore that Archie and Pellew, both in love with Horatio, have been lovingly "married" together for 30 years while Horatio's been off being a jerk and slutting around. But Horatio is a miserable older man now, and Pellew has died. Horatio meets "Captain Kennedy" at Clayton's grave and they return to Archie's house where the troubles of the past years are hashed out and they make amends. I adore the fact that Archie had his own life during this time, that the author stayed true to the H/A dynamic in the end, and the sense of hope she brings that Archie can even undo a mess like canon Hornblower. There's a strong sense of Horatio, total wreck that he is now, being called back to his true love here. A nice bittersweet ending for such a bleak canon.

In Your Dreams including Parts 2 - 3 - 4 by Azarad
Lots of pairings. *Any* story with a "Whoratio" and an "Arch Imp Kennedy" must be read! To call this a true gem of a parody would be an understatement! This is so witty, so funny, and so disturbingly easy to picture that you can't help but cackle. We have somnolent serpents in intestinal jungles, people anchoring themselves in snug harbors and officers hot as Perdition's flames. This is really not to be missed :) Oh, and, Pirate!Horry, Pirate!Archie, and Pirate!Pellew!

Harlequin by Pip
Pip writes an Arthurian universe with magic and all that where some HH characters are immortal. I can't explain it, so I'll tell you all that the important thing about this piece is that H/A have sex in the back seat of a car. They also wear masks, and Horry calls Archie his "turtle dove".

To the End of the Road by Clotho
A really unique LKU - Things went differently in Kingston. Horatio is the tortured muffin and Archie is the one to get him through. I read the first para of this and just knew one of my angsty fantasies was about to be fulfilled. Horatio in pain should not be so exquisite.

When the Wind is Southerly by Inlovewithnight (R)
Another unique story. Horatio has a strange affliction and Archie is left to take care of him. Bush makes an appearance and fabulousness ensues. People who aren't sick in the head like I am might find this story sad. I have it on good authority that for a normal person it's a tear-jerker :)

False Colors by Maxi47 (NC-17)
Bush/Cotard. Parts 2 and 3 here. This is a really well-characterized and realistic AU which works some book canon into the mix, as I understand it. Author also claims she is no good at sex scenes. Whatever. Some very plausible stuff here. Enjoy the rough and fruity goodness.

Unexpected Congress and Subsequential Congress by Cimmerianwillow (NC-17)
Bush/Cotard. Because of Archie's absence, and Horatio's intolerable behavior, I was only able to stand maybe 20 minutes of HH3 (episodes "Loyalty" and "Duty"), but CW makes it all better with a post-Loyalty romance that also functions as an LKU (Live Kennedy Universe). Opposites attract, and her stunning characterization demonstrates that the flamboyant French major is a much better match for Bush than the reserved Hornblower could ever be. Her Cotard is a prancing peacock, yet underneath it all lurks something brooding, bitter and even wise, and her Bush is lonely and subtly tragic. Their personalities clash in unbelievably amusing and charming dialogue, and when it comes time for them to hit the sheets, you won't be disappointed! Also, be sure to check out some of the other "Bucard" fic she's written since.

Deptford Dolls (R) by Atropos Lee
Archie/Pellew pre-slash. This is a part of her "Windward" series, with the most exquisite dialogue and characterization. I love how she captures Archie's toughness and Pellew's crankiness. Darling, brave Archie threatens Pellew in regards to his relationship with Horatio, and Pellew is impressed by this, which is probably why they got "married" in her series.

The 24th of January (NC-17) by Charley Hart
Archie/Pellew. This is part of a series that I don't care for much at all, but this is a decent piece featuring my *other* OTP. It's Archie's birthday and, well, Pellew must get with the gift-giving.

A Horry-fying Tale (NC-17) by Nautacarus
Hornblower/Pellew. Hornblower/Maria. There isn't enough black humor in this fandom, and even if there were tons of it this would still be a gem. Regardless of what you thought of HH3 this is a truly hilarious AU (but not LKU, to be clear - you could call it a bookverse AU too) about Hornblower's unhappy marriage to Maria and Pellew's attempts to help. Like a lot of people, I find HH2/3 Pellew pretty much detestable, but this story allows you to laugh at the moral problems of HH3, which are demonstrated perfectly here. This is also the only time I've seen an actual dynamic between Hornblower and Pellew - moral guy led astray by immoral friend. Poor Maria, but it's all pretty damn funny. I have my problems with this pairings, but Nautacarus is an excellent writer and good writing is good writing. But if you really like this pairing, check for more of her work, because this is the best H/P you're going to find.

A Little Drop of Rain (NC-17) by Eliza Ray.
Horatio/Archie/Pellew. I hope you will all understand me when I say this is the greatest thing this fandom has ever seen. Read it for the Archie/Pellew bits and stay for the threesome at the end. Do not read while eating or drinking.

Slave Boys of Morocco by Azarad
Horatio/Pellew, Archie/Pellew, Archie/Other. This story scarred Rispa. She couldn't even finish it. I did, and almost fell out of my chair. Azarad's Pellew kills me every time. This is one of those stories where they get captured and put in a harem. *giggle*.