An ever-expanding collection of links to my picks for the best works out there. If you think I'm missing a pearl or two, please let me know!
Note: Some links have been found through the internet wayback machine. All links open in a new window.
The best of the best
These are the authors whose works have intrigued me, amazed me, stayed with me, and been read over and over again. Their names are linked to their websites, and I’ve also linked one or two of their standout pieces (in my opinion), but really, anything these writers have produced deserves to be read and treasured.
An amazing, truly gifted writer who weaves a lyrical spell around you that you never want to end, and who I'm lucky enough to have as a beta. Lies Philosophers Tell (rated T) is one of my favourites, a darkly clever examination of Mark Johnson’s conflicted feelings about Kathryn Janeway, and anyone who harbours a secret lust for Kashyk (who doesn't?) should read The Seventh Bar (rated E).
This lady writes some of the best in-depth angst I've ever read. She gets completely inside the characters' heads, and her characterisations of Janeway and Chakotay, in particular, make me swoon. Check out the incredible angst-fest Deceiving (T) and the ferociously sexy J/Ka romp, Glass-Breaking Sex (E). But really, don't miss any of her stuff.
Some of the loveliest J/C I've ever read, and this writer really knows how to twist out a plot. Retrospect (rated M) is possibly my favourite piece, and Gravitation (rated T) is so dark and edgy you might cut yourself on it, with a highly satisfying ending. Don't miss her Ayala and Chakotay-centric pieces as well.
Incredibly, this author has only been writing for a short while and she's already so accomplished. Absolute standouts include her Mark Johnson-centric story A Patient Man (rated K), and the much darker (yay angst!) series, Out of Control (rated T to M). She and I also have a bit of a prompt-sabotage-challenge going (rated K to M, so far).
Other good stuff
Wonderful pieces everyone should read. (I'll add to this, but here's a start.)
A Guy Like Me by Cheshire is told from an original character's perspective and contains the best Janeway & Picard one-upmanship scene I've ever read. Rated K.
The Truth and Lies Trilogy begins with quantumsilver's Especially the Lies, in which Janeway matches wits with Garak. Cheshire's prequel, Establishing the Lie, explores the events referred to in it, and in Nynaeve's Nothing But the Truth, Chakotay pushes for the answers to questions Janeway doesn't want him to ask. All rated T-ish.
Revisionist History by Penny Proctor is the seminal coming-home novel. The intrepid crew finds its way home, but the arms of the Federation need prying open. Told in retrospect, this story reveals how Janeway and her crew, with a little help from some friends, dealt with the events that followed their homecoming. Rated T.
Losing a Layer by Missyhissy3 is delightfully funny and a little bit sad. Told from the perspective of one of my favourites, Tom Paris, this one gives us an insight into Chakotay's private headspace, which is always a good thing because he was one horribly neglected character on the show. Rated T.
Mementos by OPYKJ (known as Caladenia on AO3) is a compelling piece about the lasting effects of isolation on the captain, and has some nice female bonding in it to boot. Rated T.
Let Them Come by m_class is Badass Janeway to the max. Rated T.
Swing Time by kelly_chambliss throws Paris and Janeway together for Talent Night. Extreme heat ensues. Rated T.
Fragments of Us by irisis is a completely unique take on screwing with the timeline, and how Janeway's life might have turned out differently if she'd dated Will Riker and never taken command of Voyager. Rated T.
Echoes of Touch, by carlynroth, is the absolute best fic I've ever read about the Chakotay/Riley Frazier incident. Don't miss this. Rated T.
The Stars are a Graveyard, also by carlynroth, explores Janeway's self-recrimination after Seven's death in the unaltered Endgame timeline - and her guilt over her affair with Seven's husband. Rated M.
High Water by devovere serves up just the right soupcon of humour to lull you into believing there's going to be a last-minute reprieve from the horrendously worsening tragedy that's unfolding before the reader's eyes. And in a way, the strength, love and courage of Janeway and Chakotay are what makes the inevitable end almost bearable. This is an absolute beauty of a ficlet and it kills me dead. Rated M.
The Captains' Dance by Carrie L is a plausible, sexily romantic and heart-rending version of what might have happened when Janeway asked Chakotay to serve under her. Rated M.
Not Without Love, Not Without Passion, Not Without Feeling by Pennytextrix is another excellent fic that fleshes out Mark Johnson into something more than Janeway's beard. Rated M.
Dangerous Character by shipofpromises has a young Cadet Janeway getting frisky with an older, holographic version of herself. Who doesn't love Double Janeway? Rated E.
(Oh How I Need) Someone To Watch Over Me by zjofierose is the only fic I've ever read that convincingly paints Chakotay as completely submissive to Janeway. It's sexy and emotional and I love it. Rated E.
a posteriori by the_deep_magic is one of those rare Janeway/Chakotay fics that bestirred my criminally lazy ass to leave a comment almost as long as the story itself, and sweet lord in heaven does it deserve all the accolades it gets. Deliciously smutty from the start yet with all the emotional-porn qualities of the best slow burn, it hits every one of my kinks with a silver hammer wrapped in a feather pillow,. Divine. Rated E.
if you came this way by tree is a ferociously sexy, beautifully emotional modern-set AU, in which Janeway and Chakotay find love through unlikely circumstances. Rated E.
Balcony Celebrations by Megara79 is just so joyous and so sultry and so everything Endgame should have ended with. Rated E.
to fight the rising odds by professor has the distinction of being the only superhero AU/identity porn fic I've ever read in the Janeway/Chakotay fandom, and it's fantastic. Smart, sassy, funny, sexy, full of recognisable characters with a modern twist and surprisingly romantic, it hits every mark. It's a WIP at the time of writing and I don't usually read WIPs, but for this one I'm making an exception. Rated E.
Flight by seperis is dark and angsty and sexy and very Tom Paris, and it makes me jealous because it's the story I wanted to write but she did it better. Rated E.
Waking Up by janezy is the only Mary Sue I've ever truly enjoyed. Jane Graves is a normal 21st century twenty-something who wakes up on Voyager in the unaltered Endgame timeline. Seriously, give it a chance. Rated E.
A Second Season, a series by Claire Gabriel, offers a fresh take on Janeway and Chakotay's relationship in an AU where they met briefly as cadets and how that chance meeting has shaped their lives. Don't miss Your Cruise Director's Extrapolations, missing scenes from Interpolations, the second story in Claire's series. Rated T to E.