Story 112: "This House is Burning" by Tesla

[wendelah1]

"This House is Burning" is flat-out the best Profiler!Mulder series I've ever read. Tesla's writing style flows effortlessly, and is, by turns, unobtrusive and lyrical. Her Mulder is both much more competent at his job and much less crazy than he's often written. Frankly, that's a pleasant change. But the trilogy is more than a series of meticulously constructed police procedurals, it's also a believable, emotionally involving, Mulder/Scully romance. So let's see: great writing? Check. Exciting plot? Check. Scorching hot sex scenes? Check, check, check. This story was nominated by estella_c, and seconded by yours truly.

tesla321 is still on Live Journal, but unless I've missed something through my inconsistent lurking, she's not actively writing. Could I be more wrong? She's still writing and has even posted a challenge at fandom_charity.

As far as I know, her email address is still current, so go send her some feedback. Or leave it at her Live Journal. Then go donate some money to the Haitian relief effort and get her to write us some fic.

If you don't like my choices, you can always go suggest some of your own.

This House is Burning
Part 1: Blood on the Snow
Part 2: A Thief's Diet
Part 3: The Quiet Glades of Eden

Here in multiple parts on her LJ:

Blood on the Snow 1/2
Blood on the Snow 2/2
A Thief's Diet 1/3
A Thief's Diet 2/3
A Thief's Diet 3/3
The Quiet Glades of Eden 1/2
The Quiet Glades of Eden 2/2

Tesla's Author Page at Gossamer.


Upcoming attractions: "Fathoms Five," by Penumbra, "Blue Patches" by Maybe Amanda, and maybe--Your Nomination.

Comments

[estella-c.livejournal.com]

Do you really think Mulder's ego balloons in this fic? Or that he thinks of Scully as his little woman?

[sangria-lila.livejournal.com]

I can take Mulder's ego in this fic because I find it very believable, and I'm not particularly bothered by Scully because it didn't seem like it was Tesla's objective to give us an insight into Scully. I think she thought it was, but this fic ended up being about Mulder and it's well written enough that I can overlook Scully.

The thing I loved best about the fic was still the writing style. It wasn't as heavy as some of the big fic writers, and it manages to be straightforward without being artificial.

I think the story fails as a casefic though. I don't remember anything about the case at all, and I didn't really like the resolution. You never find out how Mulder figures out who the killer is, or even who the killer is.

[wendelah1]

I think the story fails as a casefic though. I don't remember anything about the case at all, and I didn't really like the resolution. You never find out how Mulder figures out who the killer is, or even who the killer is.

That's a good point. She could have thrown in a line or two about that at the end, when they are discussing the case. If it was a real detective story, I'm sure she would have.

Mulder doesn't figure out who the killer is; he deduces what his next move would be by the fact that the killer dumped a body for them after the press conference, where he paraded his red-haired partner in front of the multitudes. He figured out the murderer was probably watching Scully from that point on. "Mulder,you think you can stop me, you stupid cop, I'll show you. I'll take your partner next." I wasn't that convinced Mulder would risk Scully that way, and Scully wasn't either.Clearly, Tesla was.

I felt the case file worked fine for Tesla's purposes. I think the romance was the A plot and the case file the B plot.

I can take Mulder's ego in this fic because I find it very believable, and I'm not particularly bothered by Scully because it didn't seem like it was Tesla's objective to give us an insight into Scully. I think she thought it was, but this fic ended up being about Mulder and it's well written enough that I can overlook Scully.

"Mulder's ego" keeps getting mentioned. I keep going back and looking for places in the text where he seems egotistical and not finding any. He just seems like he's doing his job to me. He was put in charge of the undercover operation by Skinner, and then gets to do the profiling besides.

I think this story is about their developing relationship. Except in the middle section, we're mostly seeing Mulder through Scully's eyes, which indirectly tells you quite a bit about Scully, too. Mulder seems very depressed and preoccupied about his feelings for her all during that second section, with him convinced she can't love him. Not the way he loves her.